The gap between those who can access and use digital technology and those who can't
Amish women must cover their hair with a kind of bonnet they call a prayer covering or prayer cap. They also aren’t allowed to cut their hair.
The men are forbidden from cutting their beards. This rule comes into effect after marriage and stems from the belief that hair is a sacred religious symbol that indicates the presence of God in a person’s life.
Amish men must remain clean-shaven until they are married, and only then can they start growing out their facial hair. However, they still shave above the lip. This is because the Amish are pacifists and mustaches became associated with the military at some point in history.
Rumspringa is an Amish practice that has become the premise for multiple movies over the years for obvious reasons. When an Amish person turns 16, they are allowed to leave their community and experience all the vices of the outside world if they wish to. Rumspringa ends when they become adults around the age of 18 and make the conscious choice to commit to their faith and get baptized, if they wish to.
While the narrative favored by the media would lead you to believe that all Amish teens hop on a bus to the city to experiment with sex, drugs, and rock and roll, many still live under their parents' roof during this period of freedom and behave relatively modestly. It’s estimated that 90% of young Amish people choose to commit to their faith after Rumspringa.
Bundling, also known as bed courtship, is still carried out in some ultra-conservative Amish communities. It’s a dating tradition where the two young people who are “courting” are wrapped up in a bed together, fully clothed of course, and left to spend the night together without touching. A wooden board is sometimes placed between them.
The idea is that they get to know each other more intimately by talking all night. It’s thought that the tradition was inspired by the biblical story of Ruth and Boaz. Ruth was ordered to offer herself to Boaz, but instead they chose not to touch and simply spent the night lying in the same bed. They later got married, and their love story is seen as an admirable example of a pious courtship.
Children’s dolls must be faceless. The Book of Deuteronomy in the Bible forbids the creation of “graven images,” which the Amish interpret to mean that they cannot make something that has human features, as only God should have that power.
This clashes with the laws in some states where children have to attend school until they’re 16. A court case over this issue was brought to the Supreme Court on behalf of the state of Wisconsin in 1972. In the end, the judges ruled that forcing Amish children to go to school past the eighth grade was a violation of their First Amendment rights.
That being said, they do allow a few exceptions! For example, many communities use solar panels or wind turbines to power electronic appliances. And while they don’t drive, they are allowed to accept a ride from someone who does.
The Amish encourage singing, and choir music is greatly valued. But they aren’t allowed to use any instruments apart from their own voices. Playing an instrument is too individual a practice and is seen as a vain form of self-expression.
The Amish believe deeply in equality to the degree that individuality is discouraged in many ways. This is particularly noticeable when it comes to the strict rules about their appearance.
You’ll notice that Amish men and women all wear modest clothing in the same style. Zippers are considered to be too modern and fancy, so their clothes only have buttons. Belts are also too extravagant, so men use suspenders to keep their trousers where they want them.
Women are allowed to own around four dresses. This gives them one to wear, one to wash, one for formal occasions, and one spare. They make all of their clothing themselves.
In some communities, single women wear white prayer caps while married women wear black ones. The Amish wedding dress is blue, and after the wedding, it becomes their Sunday dress for church services.
The Amish are so dedicated to their work that they don’t take a break even when they’re pregnant! Pregnant women carry on with the strenuous household and farm work as long as they’re physically able to. They don’t use any form of birth control, so Amish women can be pregnant quite frequently.
In some communities, it’s not acceptable to discuss a pregnancy outside of a small essential circle including the wife, husband, and midwife. This means that women who are obviously heavily pregnant just carry on working and going about their daily life like nothing has changed.
Mothers prepare their daughters for motherhood by making them do chores. Amish boys and girls spend the same number of years attending school, but at home girls are trained to run a household from a very young age. The goal is to prepare them to be good wives and mothers.
The traditional skills taught to young girls include cooking, cleaning, baking, sewing, quilt-making, and childcare. They will usually have many younger siblings to help raise.
The Amish abhor idleness and laziness. Much of their culture and daily life revolves around hard work. Amish children are brought up working and are expected to learn how to do farm labor from a young age.
Many families go to bed before 7 pm so they’re ready to rise before dawn to start the day’s work.
Given their commitment to humility, it’s not all that surprising that the Amish don’t allow photographs under most circumstances. Taking a portrait photo would be seen as vain, so you can imagine their feelings about selfies.
In 2014, two young Amish girls were abducted by a child abuser and held captive for 24 hours. A police sketch artist had to do a drawing of one of the girls to aid with the search, as there were no photos of her.
Excommunication is the worst punishment handed out by the Amish. They take their rules very seriously and have high standards, so even a relatively small violation could get you kicked out, like keeping a secret smartphone. Excommunication is more likely if the offender isn’t repentant.
Once a member is excommunicated, they are shunned by their entire community. Even their own family members are not allowed to speak to or acknowledge them. This is a harsh punishment but it usually only comes after serious deliberation from the community leaders and every alternative to resolve the transgression has been exhausted. An excommunication can sometimes be reversed if an extraordinary effort to repent is made.
Sources: (USA Today) (The Talko) (Amish America) (CNN)
x
Rules you'd have to follow if you were Amish
Find out what life would be like among the "Plain People"
LIFESTYLE Amish
The Amish came to the US from Europe during the 19th century after separating from the Anabaptist church. They set up their own farms and communities, and have lived in very much the same way ever since. Their population has grown rapidly, and there are an estimated 300,000 living in the US today. The Amish stand out due to their strict attire and their rejection of technology. Their relative isolation from the rest of American society has provoked intrigue over the decades, as the contrast between their way of life compared with their neighbors becomes more extreme.
Indeed, the rules and traditions of the Amish can seem totally bizarre to an outsider. Click through this gallery to find out what life might be like if you were Amish.