Yes, Amish people use mirrors for practical purposes like grooming (shaving, doing hair, checking clothes) and safety (in buggies), as mirrors are seen as functional tools for necessity, not vanity, unlike photographs, which they avoid because they emphasize individuality. Mirrors don't violate the "no graven images" rule because they reflect reality rather than creating a static, self-focused representation.
Looking in the mirror is forbidden because the Amish believe that mirrors encourage focusing on appearance and on oneself instead of on the community, and lead to pride, which is contrary to the idea of humility and simple living.
Using the calendar method, the Amish typically begins tracking her menstrual cycles for several months to establish the length of her average cycle. She then identifies the period of her menstrual cycle when she is most likely to ovulate based on the number of days before and after her average cycle length.
Many technology restrictions are more or less universal among the Old Order Amish, such as the ban on cars, radio, television, and, in most cases, the use of the internet (see above).
Summary: The Amish typically have their teeth pulled out by unlicensed dentists instead of incurring the high cost of dentistry. They perceive dentures as more cost effective and easier to maintain oral health.
The Amish in the community I came from are not allowed to use condoms. After I left AMISH, one of my sister-in-law's pulled me aside and she was so upset and felt so guilty. She told me that they were using condoms and sinning.
While traditional Amish groups have long favored alternative items for sanitation purposes, many communities, especially those less stringent about modernization, are beginning to embrace conventional toilet paper.
The Amish wedding night will usually be spent in the bride's parent's home, as the couple will need to assist in clean up the following day. They will then spend their first months of marriage – their honeymoon – visiting relatives. (This is when most gifts they receive will be given.)
So to repeat, the Amish do not have more than one wife, or husband. Polygamy is not permitted according to Amish beliefs. And “Amish Polygamists” have never existed in their history. It has always been one man and one woman – that's the only acceptable form of marriage in the Amish church.
You will find that zippers are also not often found on Amish clothing instead snaps, hooks and pins are used. The aversion to zippers among the Amish can be traced back to their belief in Gelassenheit. Gelassenheit is a German term that emphasizes humility, submission, and yielding to God's will.
Rumspringa is a period that begins at age sixteen and ends with the promise of baptism, during this period young Amish are exposed to the outside world. Another problem the Amish community faces during the Rumspringa period is unexpected pregnancy.
Amish women give birth at home in a more natural way with the assistance of their family and midwives. Amish women don't use pain meds, don't focus on due dates, and don't make public pregnancy announcements. Mothers rest while others handle chores, making recovery and bonding with their Amish babies easier.
Divorce is not allowed within the Amish church. It contradicts the sacred vows made during baptism and is considered grounds for excommunication. When marriages face difficulties, the community encourages support and reconciliation rather than separation.
The Blue Door - As one of the most recognizable Amish signs, the blue door symbolizes prosperity and abundance, as well as God's protection and guidance.
I don't know about all of them but 28 years ago before I left we did not use any store bought tampons or pads. Instead we used these ripped up towels and rags and they would be like this long and we would roll them four or five times and then we would use four safety pins and pin them to our homemade underwear.
Any extra anxiety at night when you're trying to stay calm makes it nearly impossible to get the sleep you need. Feng Shui experts recommend you cover the bedroom mirrors for a couple nights and notice if your sleep improves. If you sleep soundly with them covered, consider replacing them or moving them elsewhere.
There is a high degree of inbreeding, resulting in a high frequency of recessive disorders, many of which are seen rarely or are unknown outside of this population. Extensive genealogical records are available, and the average family size is large.
Amish girls typically get married in their early 20s, usually between the ages of 20 and 22, often shortly after being baptized into the church in their late teens or early twenties. Dating starts around age 16, with courtship happening at social events like Sunday singings, and marriage is seen as a key step into adulthood within the community.
Unlike many weddings among non-Amish, the Amish couple will not conclude their wedding with a honeymoon trip. Instead, they will spend the next day helping to clean after the wedding. The next few months will be spent living with the bride's parents until they are ready to start a home of their own.
When Amish teenagers turn 16, they enter a rare and life-changing phase called Rumspringa. For the first time, they're allowed to step outside the boundaries of their strict community — a world with no phones, no electricity, no cars, no social media, no modern clothes, and no entertainment beyond work and prayer.
Popular Amish specialties sold in local Lancaster shops include shoofly pie, Dutch apple dumplings, smoked cheeses, and rich baked goods made with butter, sugar, and traditional spices like cloves, bay leaves, and thyme.
Marriage is extremely important to the Amish community—it's the catalyst for becoming an adult. To be married within the Amish community you must be baptized in the church, and non-Amish are therefore not able to marry within this unique community.
Not all countries or cultures use toilet paper to wipe their bums. This can be because of cultures that have traditionally used alternatives to toilet paper and therefore never really used it or lack of access to toilet paper.
Instead, most Amish families rely on clotheslines in the summer — and they still work in the winter, Williams said. According to appliance company Speed Queen, "Drying on a line in winter is actually a form of freeze-drying thanks to sublimation — or ice evaporating from a solid state.
Graber is most common, Wagler, Raber, Eicher, Yoder, Knepp, Kemp with a sprinkling of the ones you mentioned. Lancaster Stoltzfus, King, Fisher and Zook are the popular Amish names. Martin, Zimmerman, Burkholder and Weaver are the popular Mennonite names.