Amish children will only go to school to 8th grade before they begin working full time with their families. They do not attend high school or college. They also only celebrate and have off school for religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter, not federal holidays.
Fellow Amish in rare instances won't break bread with them at the same table, won't work with them and won't worship with them under the religion's centuries-old practice of shunning. In stricter settlements, shunning can break apart families, cutting off all contact between parents and their children.
New Order Amish prohibit alcohol and tobacco use (seen in some Old Order groups), an important factor in the original division. Different from the Old Order, the New Order actively suppress the use of tobacco and alcohol and do not allow bed courtship (bundling), which was an important factor in the original division.
Both girl and boy dolls are common; Amish children do not have a lot of toys, so both boys and girls play with the dolls.
From an early age, Amish boys and girls are expected to work around the house and the farm. Children learn how to care for the farm animals, horses. They are also expected to clean and do other chores as necessary.
Amish parents consider their children their greatest earthly treasure. Children are welcomed as a blessing from God and large families are the norm.
Mothers are very demonstrative with their babies when they nurse them and sing to them as they soothe them to sleep. But they don't pick up their children to hug and kiss them.
Rumspringa, loosely translated in Pennsylvania Dutch as "running around," is a coming-of-age period in which Amish youth decide whether they wish to be baptized as Amish and join the church, or leave the community. It generally extends from ages 16-21.
Considering it a violation of the Second Commandment, which prohibits the making of "graven images," the Amish believe any physical representation of themselves (whether a photograph, a painting, or film) promotes individualism and vanity, taking away from the values of community and humility by which they govern their ...
Amish people reject most aspects of modern life. They do not usually use telephones, electricity, radios, televisions, or automobiles. Horses and buggies provide transportation. Many Amish are excellent farmers who do not use power machinery.
Feminine Hygiene
Female Amish wash their hair and wear it in a bun. As for makeup, Amish women aren't allowed to wear cosmetics or adornments considered worldly. This includes lipstick, mascara, eye shadow, and jewelry.
Marriage in the Amish community is seen as a passage into adulthood. To get married in the Amish community, members must be baptized in the church. Outsiders, non-Amish, or 'English', as they call the rest of the world, are not permitted to marry within the Amish community.
The Amish believe that technology, especially cell phones, separates people and takes away important face-to-face communication and social interaction. In more lenient communities, cell phones may be used by families in a central location, with no particular owner, to keep in touch with family.
I think the level of integration with the modern world varies community to community (some Amish communities are more insular than others) but the most conservative of them will probably use the same methods women used for hundreds of years — wrapping themselves with strips of material, or wrapping their shift/ ...
Women are to keep their hair long and worn in a single braid or bun that is pinned behind their head. Hair must be kept out of sight, as it's seen as too sensual and can be distracting for men in the community. The reason Amish women don't cut their hair is more than just aesthetic preference.
The languages most commonly spoken by the Amish are Pennsylvania Dutch and English. Amish community members use Pennsylvania Dutch when conversing with each other in their community. English is only really used for communicating with outsiders.
As part of their Ordnung, Old Order Amish forbid owning automobiles; tapping electricity from public utility lines; owning televisions, radios, or personal computers; attending high school or college; joining the military; and initiating divorce. All Amish groups expect men and women to wear prescribed clothing.
Amish Women Rules
They also can't wear makeup or anything to alter their appearance. Married Amish women are expected to be submissive toward their husbands. This is done in a respectful way and according to the bible.
While the Amish do not take pictures of themselves, they do use mirrors. The use of a mirror is allowed because unlike a picture, it is not a graven image. Women use mirrors to do their hair and men use mirrors to shave. If you take our guided farmhouse tour, you'll spot a few mirrors in the house.
Divorce is forbidden in the Amish church. To get divorced is to violate a vow made during Amish baptism and is punishable by shunning.
Amish boys and girls start looking for a partner as young as 16 years of age. Many marry in their early 20s. Both must be members of the Amish church and baptized in the faith to marry. The bride to be does not receive a ring, instead the groom might give her something like china or a clock.
Since the Amish feel strongly about their community and honoring God by respecting others, much of their spare time is spent connecting with others. The Amish will often visit with relatives, neighbors, church friends, and even non-Amish friends.
This is based on the biblical principle of wives being submissive to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-24). This doesn't mean that Amish women are treated as second-class citizens. They're still considered equal in worth and value. However, they're expected to defer to their husband's decisions and opinions.
After giving birth, Amish mothers breastfeed their babies for as long as possible.
In the Amish community, things like pregnancy are very sacred and secret. People's privacy is important, and intimate details are often not shared with other members of the community until it is more than obvious.