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 and Nolt describe the schedule of an Amish entrepreneur who employs both Amish and non-Amish workers.

Among other free days, non-Amish employees are given time off for Memorial Day, July Fourth, and Labor Day.  In place of these holidays, Amish are exempt from working on Ascension Day, Pentecost Monday, and Fall Fast Day.

In the spirit of the day, Amish at work…

amish field labor
Hard at work in the fields. Amish in Holmes County, Ohio

…and at play:

amish youth softball
Amish youth on the softball diamond in Topeka, Indiana

Hope you’re enjoying the Labor Day weekend.

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    12 Comments

    1. Amish Stories

      Enjoy your labor day Erik, and everyone as well. Richard http://www.Amishstorys.com

    2. Ivan Gromling

      Labor Day

      Hi My Wife and myself drove thru the Amish Country a few years back and we saw some Amish our working on Labor Day. Again I guess they must get there crops in when ever there is nice weather just like the english farmers do.But we did see lots of roadside stands closed.
      Rach unn Ivan

    3. No Rest for Farmers

      Labor Day here looks like every other day! Animals to be fed, garden work, house work. I see my non-farming neighbours have it off, though. And Mama doesn’t get the day off anyway; there’s always the cooking.

    4. Mar

      amish on labor day

      There is an Amish couple in a town nearby that sells dogs and I was going to look at them today since its my only day off this week but don’t know if that would be bad to do on labor day? Any suggestions?

    5. Alice Mary

      No rest for the laboring...

      It doesn’t seem to matter if it’s a “holiday” or not, I’m still working somewhere,somehow. In fact, the Amish (and those who keep the Sabbath and don’t “work” that day) get more holidays than I do—at least they do get to “rest” on Sundays (I have to work one Sunday per month, albeit only for 3 hours). I know, the animals must be cared for, and food provided for meals (if only simple fare), and dishes washed…babies changed…kids supervised…etc.

      Heck, it seems that whether you’re Amish or non-Amish in this country, every day is “Labor Day”, to some extent!

      (Have a happy one, y’all, and get some rest when you can!)

      Alice Mary

    6. Greg

      Fall Fast Day

      I am familiar with many Holidays, Amish and others, but I don’t know Fall Fast Day. Could someone let me know what this is? Thank you in advance.

      1. Greg it would be a day of fasting before Communion service.

    7. Al in Ky.

      It’s Labor Day evening and I just returned home after spending the
      day amongst the Amish in Daviess and Orange Counties, Indiana.
      The Daviess County Produce Auction (Amish) was going as strong
      as any Monday and the Discount Salvage Grocery had many customers.
      When I visited some Amish friends who live in the Paoli Old Order
      settlement, it was interesting because all of the school-age children were at their Amish school for the first day of the new
      school year. I thought to myself, this would rarely, if ever,
      happen among the non-Amish to have their first day of school on
      Labor Day.

    8. Dave

      School on Labor Day

      I was coming home from rural Wiconsin today when I passed by a school house with smoke coming from the chimney. Although I didn’t see any people I have to assume school was in session. It would seem that the Amish do not observe traditional American holidays.

    9. Slightly-handled-Order-man

      Locally it would have been nice to have sunshine on Labour Day, but we’re lucky it didn’t rain during the daylight hours, it was overcast, but whose going to complain, we’ll complain about how cool it was outside, and prognosticators believe it will be cool tomorrow for the first day of elementary and high school kids. One community college in the area returns to regular schedules, regardless of the hyped support staff strike, midweek.
      I for one had a quiet long weekend, nice and peaceful. I hope everyone who didn’t work today at least treated with kindness those, like some of the Amish, evidently, who had to work.

    10. Annmarie

      Guess whether you are Amish or English..Sometimes you have to work Holidays…I work for the hospital and since they NEVER close, even for major holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas..one always has to assume in a year that there will be MANY holidays one has to work…and as stated above..if you are a momma…there is NEVER a holiday from your daily grind..only difference one pays time and half for your services on a holiday..lol..:)))

    11. Nelson

      The Amish in Smyrna, Maine and Unity Maine do not celebrate any holidays throughout the year…
      Don’t get me wrong they take their vacations if they want to , even going on long distance pleasure trips on Amtrak,etc. and they love to go fishing, hiking up Moumt Katahdin..
      There is one boy there, named Toby Esch who hiked that mountain, on a trail called Knife Edge in his bare feet…
      BY THE WAY THEY DO NOT WORK IN THEIR BUSINESSES ON SUNDAY,