Modesty Appreciated
A sign you often see outside Amish shops. This one is from the North Carolina Amish community at Union Grove. Are Plain businesses the only places where “modesty is appreciated” anymore? Asheville, NC Amish Furniture
Amish Culture
NY Amish barn raising
Reader Roberta shares a photo of a barn raising she attended a couple weeks ago in a New York Amish community: This took place in the vicinity of Newport, which is in Herkimer County. Roberta adds: They started on Wednesday morning. There are about a hundred men involved. Most came in buggies but a few got rides. Since they don’t want their pictures taken, we…
Amish Making Apple Butter
The picture above was taken at an Amish farm in Hardin County, Ohio (we’ve mentioned this settlement already this summer, see the unusual buggy post). Can you guess what’s happening here? The family only does this once a year. Luckily, that was the day I stopped by! UPDATE: if you guessed apple butter, well done! See below in the comments for a bit more background…
How do Amish women put up their hair?
Amish Workshops has posted a great look at the process Amish women go through to pin up their hair. The article features over 2 dozen photos illustrating the procedure. Amish women don’t display their hair for Biblically-based reasons. They also do not cut their hair, pinning it all up underneath a kapp, or prayer covering. When I posted this article on the Amish America Facebook…
Amish soap
Karen Johnson-Weiner shares a photo of homemade Amish soap, the work of a Swartzentruber Amish woman. It’s interesting to see the range of home amenities used by Amish. When it comes to cleaning products, you get families who buy fine hand lotions from places like Wal-Mart to those who still make their own soaps. Here’s a close-up. If I didn’t know otherwise, I might have…
Name that Amish item
What is this? I bought it at an Amish variety store in Adams County, Indiana, earlier this summer, for $3. To make things more fun, the first one to guess correctly wins a back issue of the Connection magazine. I have no idea if you’ll find this easy or difficult, but I’ll be checking back in on this post to see if anyone’s hit it–and…
Why don’t Amish discuss pregnancy?
Sarah writes: I know pregnancy is a taboo subject in the Amish culture… what are the does and don’t when discussing? I have very close Amish friends. The woman is about 8 months pregnant by my estimate and today is the first day her husband has even acknowledged her pregnancy to me, and quite honestly, he only acknowledged it because she needs to go see…
Do Amish work on Labor Day?
Do Amish take Labor Day off? Some do, others don’t. If you’re Amish and work for someone, it would depend on your employer. Amish schedules typically differ from English ones, taking into account more religious holidays. From What holidays do Amish celebrate?: Amish appreciate working for Amish employers, who follow the same holiday schedule and may grant employees time off for weddings. In Amish Enterprise, Kraybill…
The Amish Buggy (All About Plain Transportation)
The horse-drawn buggy is essential to Amish society. Amish buggies are both practical transport, and symbolic of the people. Though most Amish allow riding in motor vehicles such as cars and buses, no Amish permit ownership of the automobile. Amish feel the horse-drawn carriage promotes a slower pace of life and greater reliance on community. Amish buggies are not all alike. Different designs designate specific…
Ever see an Amish buggy like this?
I’m working on a huge Amish buggy post for Friday. Many photos, including some lesser-known buggy styles and designs. One example: Extra credit to anyone who knows where this photo was taken.