Sometimes people stand out by making noise. Other times, the quieter ones set themselves apart. One thing that I’ve always appreciated about the Amish, is that they’re not attention seekers. Perhaps this is in part due to the fact they automatically get a lot of attention due to being so visually, and culturally different. But there are also aspects of Amish culture that leads them…
How about another Amish singing video? This is another beautiful one from P. Thomas, from several months back, recorded with a number of other hymns. The venue is a New Order Amish youth group singing (likely in Ohio). New Order Amish tend to be more open when it comes to cameras, so we’ve seen a good number of recordings from them. Like others we’ve heard,…
I want to share with you an excellent documentary on the Amish communal practice of barn raising. In this film by Burton Buller, a barn has recently burned down in an Amish community (which looks to be Holmes County, Ohio). He films the entire process of the barn-raising, starting at the wee hours (4:45 AM) when the first helpers are just arriving. Interspersed with the…
How “Amish” are you when it comes to technology? In “We Should Be More ‘Amish’ About Technology“, columnist Tish Harrison Warren examines how over-use of tech (social media in particular) was harming her family life. And she feels that Amish and others like them can be role models on this: American society could learn from Anabaptist groups, including the Amish, Mennonites and others. Many of…
An Amishman and his ten-year-old son lost their lives this past weekend in a pond accident. The incident happened under unusual circumstances in a restricted area in their community in eastern Ohio. From WTRF: BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio (WTRF) — An Amish man and his 10-year-old son died of drowning Saturday, according to Belmont County Sheriff’s Department Chief Investigator Ryan Allar. Allar said it happened at…
In this week’s Amish Cook column, Gloria Yoder’s mother Dorcas Raber fills in, as she does from time to time. She shares an account of a recent wedding in her community – that of her niece Rhoda. She shares what kinds of foods they serve, what goes into wedding prep, and so on. An excerpt: Every one of their family pitched in to get ready…
Another nice Amish song video today by P. Thomas (video at end of post). This one is from an Amish school in Indiana. The song is called “Our God Is For Us” (or possibly just “God Is For Us”). Amish children don’t have formal religious instruction in their schools (Amish feel that’s not the place for it), but they do have prayer and sing Christian…
In a recent article by Mary Swander, writing for the Iowa Capital Dispatch, she describes receiving an abruptly direct call from someone Amish. I found this of interest because it raises the question of whether the Amish could be described as more rude – or lacking manners – compared with your average Americans. And if so, why that might be. Here’s how it opens: “What…
Here’s a nice recording by P. Thomas of a group of Amish youth singing the hymn “I Am On The Winning Side” somewhere in Ohio (I assume Holmes County). It’s been quite a while since I’ve shared an Amish singing video. This is a nice one for a return to the topic. This is a New Order group, who tend to be more open to…
We’ve got a nice look here at how Amish volunteer firefighters help their communities. The community here is at Farmville, Virginia. This growing community has roots in Lancaster County, which has a long-running tradition of Amish and other Plain people serving on fire companies. So it only makes sense that the Amish who’ve moved here continue that service in their sister (daughter) settlement. In this…