Why do Amish wear beards (but no moustache)?
Amish men wear beards, but no mustache. Why? An Amish friend shared his answer that question (see that below).
But first, Stephen Scott gives possible reasons in Why Do They Dress That Way?
- “Evil-looking” European soldiers used to wear curly mustaches. Amish shaved theirs to set themselves apart.
- The mustache has been considered unclean.
An Amish friend explained the reasoning behind the beard, which overlaps – and adds to – the above:
Starting with the beard I know I stated that the reasons for wearing one was a protest against militarism and an imitation of Christ. I later realized that this was an incomplete answer.
Because the protest against militarism part is archaic and though it may have been the case in Europe, there is today greater significance. And as one student pointed out, how do we know Jesus didn’t wear a mustache?–which was a great point.
The significance of the beard is as a symbol of humility and identity. It identifies a man as married. The question came up of what would happen if one would grow a mustache.
And although it would entail questions and a visit from the ministry, it still is hard to say exactly what and how it would happen. The reason being it has never happened. If one would grow a mustache, that person would very certainly have other issues with the Ordnung as well.
As far as facial hair goes, married Amishmen wear beards to varying length. In some communities, unmarried men of a certain age can too.
Beards range from long and straggly-looking to short and chiseled-neat. This may reflect how progressive or conservative a group is.
Some Amish have very impressive beards. Other men can barely grow a few whiskers. Still, they grow what they can.
