A few weeks ago, a fire broke out in a home in the Harmony Amish settlement, the largest in Minnesota. A bishop and his 18-year-old-son lost their lives. Since that time, both the local Amish community, as well as English neighbors (for anyone new, “English” is the term most, but not all, Amish use to refer to non-Amish people) have come together to help the remaining family,…
There’s a nice story making the rounds about a man named Matthew Secich who recently joined the Amish community at Unity, Maine. If the name of that community rings a bell, you may have seen it discussed here before. Here is one reader’s account of a visit to the settlement, and a look at what makes the community unusual. Secich is apparently a well-known and successful chef, who’s…
As we close the books on the last day of 2015, it’s always nice to take a look back at the previous 365. Every year has its ups and downs. I hope yours was overall a good one, and that 2016 is only better. Here on the blog, I’ve collected some favorite posts from the previous year. In this case “favorite” means either highly-viewed, highly-commented, or simply ones…
Do young Amish men drive motor vehicles? For most non-Amish adolescents, acquiring a license at age 16 or thereabouts–usually followed by a beater of a car–is an assumed rite of passage. For Amish youth–many of whom enjoy freedoms similar to that of non-Amish during their “running around” years–the choice is not so obvious. While it’s safe to say the majority do not, more than a few…
Most Amish speak a dialect known as Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania Dutch as their primary language. It’s generally not used as a written tongue, though that doesn’t mean it’s not written, in one form or another, from time to time. And so today we have a list of terms for you to guess (or if you know PA Dutch already, this should be pretty easy). Ohio…
Have you ever tried to “live like the Amish?” There have been quite a few books and articles written on the subject. It’s easy to see why. In a hectic, disjointed world, many of us crave things we see in Amish society. Things like strong community, life oriented around nature, and less dependence on technology, to name a few. Of course, you can’t truly live like the Amish….unless you…
Running this website for over fifteen years, I’ve had the privilege to not only learn about the Amish – but also observe how the rest of us talk about them. The Amish certainly generate a lot of discussion across the web and elsewhere. But since they are not the most accessible group, sometimes – often – the discussion is not what it could be….
For the start of the school term a few weeks ago, Rebecca Miller shared with us 5 things children learn in Amish schools (not found in books). Today she compares Amish schools with their public counterparts, and shares 15 ways they are different. It’s worth noting here that quite a few Amish parents do choose to send their children to public schools. Some Amish parents prefer public…
What colors will you find in a “true” Amish quilt? When I attended Amish quilt expert Janneken Smucker’s presentation on the topic, I was surprised to learn that the use of color by Amish quilters was much more flexible than I’d assumed. These weren’t just the bold reds, blues and dark tones we often associate with Amish handiwork. Today Janneken explains how Amish quilters of another era incorporated popular…
We’ve got the second batch of answers to your questions on the Amish, courtesy of Merlyn Yoder in northern Indiana. If you missed it, here are Merlyn’s replies to the first 17 questions. Below, you’ll find responses to 16 more. Today’s questions cover everything from waking up early to celebrating Christmas to tracking the weather to former Amish clothing. Thanks to everyone who asked a question, and a…