The Amish bedroom is simple. The furniture is typically made of wood, and the beds are usually bunk beds. The mattresses are filled with straw or feathers, and the bedding is typically made of wool. They wake up early, around 4:30 a.m, say a prayer, and then start their day.
The Amish stay up after dark, but they go to bed early: typically between 9 and 9.30pm in summer, and more like 8.30-9pm in winter. Most people start work at around 5.30am, so they're often up by 4.45am.
Since morning comes early, most Amish families are in bed by 8:30 – 9:00 pm.
On a rainy evening, you can often find Amish in the house playing games as a family. They enjoy board games, such as Scrabble, Life on the Farm, and Monopoly or card games, like Uno. However, there is never any gambling involved! Sports games are also enjoyed by all ages, but they are not played competitively.
A day in the life of an Amish person typically starts with a shared family breakfast, followed by the morning prayer. Most Amish will attend a morning church service and then return home for lunch. Following lunch, the family may partake in some house chores or other activities.
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.
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.
Those Amish who don't drink alcohol may abstain for religious or personal reasons. That said, even those communities that do allow it generally stick to wine or beer rather than hard liquor. When they do consume alcohol, they usually enjoy it in moderation rather than drink to get drunk.
Do Amish drink coffee? They do. In fact, coffee soup is a common breakfast dish in Amish country. It's made of coffee and generous amounts of cream and sugar.
It is common for Amish communities to allow the use of telephones, but they do not allow them in the home. Instead, several Amish families will share a telephone housed in a wooden shanty in a nearby location.
Such dental problems are not only due to a lack in dental care but also non-fluoridated drinking water and the tendency to forgo preventive care (Amish communities have higher rates of unvaccinated children as well).
Amish Birth Culture
This aspect of birth is a spiritual experience for families and is typically attended to by a midwife or female family members, as male presence at the time of the birth is generally not accepted. As part of this tradition, Amish women have been wearing birthing gowns for centuries.
For Amish youth, the Rumspringa normally begins at age 16 and ends when a youth chooses either to be baptized in the Amish church or to leave the community. For Wenger Mennonites, Rumspringa occurs mostly between ages of 17 and 21.
What is Rumspringa? 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.
Black and White Bonnets
An unmarried woman may be in the process of an Amish courtship, but until she gets hitched, she wears a black bonnet. Once married, a woman will swap out her old black bonnet for a fresh white one.
All types of birth control, and also all forms of natural family planning such as calendar-based methods, are forbidden in Old-Order Amish communities. However, especially in recent years, more Amish women have begun using contraception.
Unmarried Amish men and women aren't supposed to have any physical contact with each other. This includes kissing, hugging, and even holding hands.
The modern world has so many inventions that make life easier so how do the Amish live without those conveniences or modify them to fit within their lifestyle? The Amish can still take a hot shower, they simply hook up their hot water tank to a gas or propane fueled energy source.
All Amish cleaning recipes contain natural ingredients, like white vinegar and baking soda. Instead of flushing toilets, outhouses are commonly used. This is true of the most conservative Amish, the Swartzentruber Amish. Interestingly, even communities that have indoor plumbing, sometimes still use outhouses.
While we are on the topic, yes, the Amish are huge consumers of soda. To be honest, I've not met too many who are Coke fans. It seems to be Pepsi and Mountain Dew that are popular among the Amish.
The Amish do use sugar. It's a common ingredient in their meals, and not only the sweet treats. However, this sugar intake is balanced out by the fact that they don't consume sugars in processed foods and sodas like non-Amish tend to do.
However, in addition to the modesty aspect, women must keep their heads covered at all times so that they can pray at any time. Both modesty and prayer are central to the daily lives of Amish people and for women, wearing head coverings and bonnets is an important part of that.
Amish men use their beards as a symbol of marriage. If a man has a clean-shaven face, it means he is single and ready to mingle, which is important for the ladies to know. However, if he's got a beard, he's taken. Back off, ladies.
The bowl-cut is the most common hairstyle for Amish men, as it offers an easy way to keep their hair short and neat. It's a classic style that has been around since the 19th century and is still popular today among Amish communities. The bowl cut got its name from the way the cut was executed in the early days.