Yes, Amish people do kiss, but it's highly regulated: they greet with a "holy kiss" (often on the cheek) for religious reasons, while romantic kissing is reserved for private moments during courtship (like after rocking in bed) and is not public, even for married couples, reflecting their emphasis on modesty and privacy. There's no kissing at the altar or public displays of affection at weddings, but private moments are cherished.
Most Amish families do not kiss each other, except couples do in secret and only some Amish couples kiss in front of their children. Adults sometimes kiss their babies and toddlers, but not their school children or older children.
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.)
Therefore, the use of condoms by Amish men is strictly forbidden and condemned in most, if not all, Amish communities.
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.
In many Amish homes, rags are a common toilet paper alternative. These rags are typically old clothes that have been worn out. After simple processing, they become practical cleaning tools.
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.
Covering their hair is seen as a way to distinguish themselves from men and to show their role as caretakers of the home and family. As a matter of fact, Amish women don't cut or shave any hair from their bodies.
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.
Back then, Amish men wore denim pants without any undergarments, which seems surprising since denim isn't typically the most comfortable fabric directly on skin. Fast forward to more recent visits when I helped with laundry at my siblings' homes, I discovered a change: the men now wear store-bought boxers!
On the night of your wedding, it's best to take things nice and slowly. You will most likely be exhausted after the day you've had and a night of high energy sex might not be on the cards. Instead, take your time, cherish the moment of just the two of you and keep it romantic.
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.
Amish girls typically get married in their early 20s, usually between ages 20 and 22, often shortly after being baptized into the church, which usually happens in their late teens or early twenties. While dating starts around 16 during the Rumspringa period, marriage follows baptism and joining the church, with females often marrying slightly younger than their male partners.
It depends on the community. We are currently working with a Mennonite community and all the boys that have been born were circumcised. There is an Amish community downstate that doesn't circumcise. So it really depends on the community as to what they practice.
The Amish will only wear solid-colored clothing. Patterns are not allowed since they are too decorative and worldly. Other rules ban buttons, so men use suspenders, and women use pins or clasps to fasten clothing.
Tobacco use is widely discouraged by leaders in many Amish church districts. However, there is a period of time in the life of an Amish person where some behaviors are more tolerated.
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.
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.
Mean age at death (+/-SD) in this population was 70.7 +/- 15.6 years, and this did not change appreciably over time.
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. I told her at least they weren't getting pregnant every time.
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.
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.
Health among the Amish is characterized by higher incidences of particular genetic disorders, especially among the Old Order Amish. These disorders include dwarfism, Angelman syndrome, and various metabolic disorders, such as Tay-Sachs disease, as well as an unusual distribution of blood types.
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.