This updated post on the Amish & Old Christmas was originally published in 2011. If you missed it the first time, here’s another look at the story behind this tradition, observed on January 6 in Amish communities. What is Old Christmas? How do Amish celebrate Old Christmas? Not all Amish observe Old Christmas Old Christmas History Other Amish Holidays What is Old Christmas – and…
In anticipation of February 14th, I passed this question along to John Stoltzfus: Do Amish people do anything for Valentine’s Day?  What are some ways they observe the day?   John’s response hints at differing attitudes about Valentine’s.  The usual caveat about Amish being different in different places applies: Valentine’s Day is a special day for our family, however in the last 10 years even the…
The short answer is yes. I’m sending out my Christmas cards this week, and will include a number to Amish friends across the country. Amish don’t do Santa, so I try to choose “neutral” ones, though have sent some with a Christmas tree before. You can see Christmas cards displayed in Amish homes. One family I regularly visit hangs them from a string, which is…
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…
Do Amish celebrate Halloween? While Amish do grow a lot of the pumpkins that become the Jack-o-Lanterns adorning homes across the nation today, the Amish themselves do not have a tradition of carving or displaying their own. The most you might see are some uncarved pumpkins and gourds festively arranged at some homes (though I suppose that could just as easily fall under the category…
Judging by my email inbox and the lack of traffic on the roads, today, Easter Monday, is a day off for a number of us. Amish Religious Holidays What holidays do Amish observe? And how does that affect the work schedule? In Amish Enterprise, Donald Kraybill and Steven Nolt write that in Lancaster County, “Church members faithfully recognize Good Friday, Easter, Ascension Day, And Christmas. …
A week back I wrote about how Amish celebrate Christmas, with a mention of the holiday program that takes place in many Amish schools. Rick shares a photo from a recent visit to the New Wilmington, PA Amish community, taken during the Christmas Eve program at a local one-room school.
photo: golancasterpa Christmas is one of many holidays observed by Amish, and with an expected emphasis on family rather than Santa. Amish-raised scholar John Hostetler shares in Amish Society that some Amish children may be “exposed to such customs [ie, Santa and the Christmas tree] if they attend public school, and some Amish parents come to the annual parochial school Christmas program. Some Amish have…