The Amish is a movement of followers of the Mennonite ideologue from Switzerland, Jacob Amman, which appeared in Europe at the end of the 17th century. Persecution forced many Amish people to immigrate to America. To this day, they jealously cherish their traditions, strikingly different from modern Americans.

Following the letter of the scripture

The Amish take literally everything the Bible says. If it says “be fruitful and multiply,” then so be it. This is why the Amish population in America is doubling every 20 years. While among the general population of the United States, the average birth rate does not exceed two children per family, the Amish have 6-7 offspring. Today, North America is home to some 200,000 Amish.

Given that all North American Amish prefer to find mates within their community, they are faced with the problem of inbreeding - closely related incest, which generates a lot of genetic abnormalities and high mortality rates among newborns. Realizing the danger of endogamy, the Amish impose a ban on marriage between cousins, sisters, but an alliance between second cousins ​​is still allowed.

Without leaving home

Traditionally, Amish communities do not build places of worship and conduct all services at home, following in this scripture, where the church is not defined as a building, but as an assembly of people. During the liturgy, which lasts 3 hours, men and women stand separately, listening to the sermon and singing chants in the Pennsylvanian dialect of German.

If many people gather in the house where the service is held, then the pastor has to move from room to room in order to bypass all the parishioners. By the way, Amish pastors do not undergo special training, as is customary in other churches, but are determined by lot.

Ban on civilization

The Amish are an extremely gated community. They do not recognize technical progress, effectively isolating themselves from the benefits of civilization. Ordnung (the Amish code of life) bans the use of mains electricity, telephones and computers. Refrigerators and bathrooms are prohibited in the most conservative communities.

Amish are not allowed to drive a car, much less have one, but they can use a bus or train. The traditional Amish mode of transport is a horse-drawn carriage, however, the maximum travel distance should not exceed 40 kilometers, as the animal cannot be overloaded.

Amish clothing is also strictly regulated. Only simple garments made from natural materials - no sneakers, jeans, belts, gloves, ties, pockets or even buttons (they are replaced by fasteners or pins).

Only necessary

The Amish also reject traditional schooling, as, in their opinion, it is overloaded with completely unnecessary disciplines. Their children attend small community schools where they learn only reading, writing and arithmetic.

After finishing the 8th grade, boys and girls receive vocational training primarily in the field of agriculture, as well as various kinds of crafts. The Amish leave only what helps them survive. Everything else is from the evil one.

Selective violence

The Amish reject any cooperation with the outside American community: they refuse to serve in the army, to obey any order from the authorities or the police. In their own way of interpreting the sermons of Christ, they do not allow themselves to be drawn into the judicial system, viewing it as a manifestation of violence and aggression.

However, in some cases, violence within the community is highly encouraged. When children show disobedience, they make faces, curses, or outbursts of anger, they inevitably receive corporal punishment.

The main advantage

Amish men follow a strict rule. Once they get married, they are obligated to grow a beard - only a beard, not a mustache. A beard for them is a sacred attribute, and its forcible cutting, which can occur during a quarrel between representatives of different families, is equated with sacrilege. Such a crime is punishable by a prison term.

The fact is that, according to American law, cutting off the Amish's beard is tantamount to a crime against religious freedom, and here community representatives are ready to cooperate with the authorities. For example, in 2013, an Ohio jury sentenced the organizer of a beard-cutting attack to 15 years in prison, and his 15 accomplices received sentences ranging from one to seven years.

There is a board between us

Typically, an Amish couple who are about to tie the knot do not have an intimate relationship prior to the wedding. Young people can lie in the same bed, but they will be fenced off from each other by tucked-in blankets and a board fitted between them. Sometimes the mother of the bride can sew her child into a canvas bag, in which the girl will be until the morning. And so on for a month.

Do what you want

Another interesting custom among the Amish is "rumspringa" (literally "fugitive"). In the period from 14 to 16 years, every teenager receives the right to independently explore the outside world, subjecting himself to all its temptations. After all, the Amish are consciously baptized only at the age of 16 and before that they are not considered full members of the religious community.

Rumspringa will not be convicted by her fellows for wearing youth clothes, driving a car, sexual promiscuity, or even drug use. Moreover, the teenager may no longer return to the community, but typically over 90% of the fugitives end up with the Amish.

Don't make an idol

Curiously, Amish baby dolls are devoid of distinctive features - face, hair, fingers and, in general, coloring. This can be explained simply: the Amish believe that only God has the right to create images of people, even if it is a toy. Faceless dolls create a uniformity that prevents one toy from looking better than another, or a desire for vanity.

This can explain the ban on posing for photography. The Amish believe that taking such pictures is tantamount to breaking the commandment "do not make yourself an idol." However, a photo or video taken in a relaxed manner is allowed by the Amish. Therefore, in the Amish passport, we will either not see a photograph at all, or there it will be captured in a natural environment, say, against the background of nature.

The Amish emerged in the late 18th century as followers of the ideas of Jacob Amman, who is known as the Alsatian preacher of Anabaptism. This was preceded by the events of the so-called split of the Mennonites (adherents of a branch of Protestantism). Jacob Amman insisted on especially strict adherence to the biblical canons, which not all Mennonites agreed to observe, so he formed a group of people who shared his views. Thus the Amish came into being. Mostly they came from three places in Europe: Switzerland (where they spoke German), Alsace (now this territory belongs to France) and Kurpfalz (a German city). The Amish movement was not unquestioningly accepted by society, so many of them had to emigrate to the United States, where most of them now live. There are now over two hundred thousand adherents of this movement in the world.

How the Amish live and think

The Amish perceive the text of the Bible without the notorious associations, understand it in its literal sense, clearly observing the messages of the Lord. They have their own church document "Ordnung", which prohibits them from using the achievements of scientific and technological progress and various public goods. Phones, cars, sophisticated clothing, electricity - all of these are considered unworthy of their lives.

The Amish oppose violence and do not serve in the army, children are given only basic education to prepare them for agricultural work, which is the main activity of members of the movement, an alternative to this is teaching various crafts that are useful for their lives. The Amish do not have religious buildings, they gather in groups and conduct worship at home, and the role of the pastor is given by chance, no one is specially prepared for this.

Amish can use public transport, this is not a taboo for them, but most often they can be found in a cart with a harnessed horse. Before marriage, the Amish do not have sexual intercourse; after entering into official relations, men grow a beard all their lives, and it is prohibited by law to encroach on its length. The Amish wear the most basic clothing made from cotton, linen and other natural materials.

Families usually have many children. The Amish can only start a family with members of this movement. Due to the closed, unusual way of life of the Amish, they are often called sectarians. The baptism ceremony for the Amish takes place at the age of 16, before that, according to custom, he is given a short period when he can "walk up" before his future life, gaining complete freedom. He is even given the right not to return to the community, but such a decision is rarely made by future Amish.

The Amish are not hermits, but people who worship God and his scriptures. Perhaps, giving up such huge opportunities for existence, they acquire something more - freedom.


One of the most prominent religious minority groups in the world, the Amish are renowned for their traditional lifestyle. They live much simpler than the vast majority of people, often purely at the expense of agriculture and fishing. Around this group, which separated from the Mennonites several centuries ago, there are many legends, so let's try to figure out what is really true.

1. Origin of the Amish



The term "Amish" comes from the name of Jacob Amman, a Swiss Anabaptist and Mennonite who fiercely advocated literal interpretation of the Bible. His ideas caused a split in the church, and the Amman followers who left with him became known as the Amish.

2. Baptism and marriage



Baptism among the Amish occurs most often at the age of 18-22. Until this happens, the person is not allowed to marry. Also, at the time of marriage, both future spouses must be in the church.

3. Nonviolence



The Amish are notorious pacifists and reject any form of violence. That is why they did not participate in any war.

4. Faceless dolls



Anyone who sees Amish dolls without knowing anything about them in advance will probably remember a couple of horror films. They simply don't have faces. Faceless dolls are believed to keep people from pride and vanity. It is also for a similar reason that the Amish do not play musical instruments, claiming that instruments are a method of self-expression that will stimulate the development of a sense of pride and superiority.

5. Rumspring



When a child in an Amish family turns 16, he becomes a "room spring". For a certain amount of time, he is allowed to go out and do things that are generally prohibited in the Amish community. During this time, the teenager must decide whether he will be baptized and become a member of the Amish Church or leave the community permanently.

6. Amish in numbers



The Amish first emigrated to North America in the early 1700s and initially settled in Pennsylvania. Today, more than 300,000 Amish live in more than 28 states in the United States and Canada.

7. The role of women among the Amish


A woman in an Amish family is primarily a housewife whose responsibilities include cooking, housework, and helping neighbors. “In public,” a woman, as a rule, follows the example of her husband.

8. Avoidance and excommunication



The Amish can punish members of their society in two different ways. The first is “avoidance,” in which community members restrict all contact with the offender in order to shame him and point out the fallacy of his path. The more serious punishment is “excommunication”. This is a complete cessation of contact with a person and his expulsion from the community. Even parents must cut off contact with their child if the child has been excommunicated.

9. Cars



In general, it is a well-known fact that the Amish cannot use motorized vehicles such as cars. They mainly use horses and gig carriages.

10. Famous beards



If you just look at an Amish man, you can tell right away if he is married or not. After the wedding, every Amish immediately begins to grow a beard.

11. Women's dresses



Amish women have a different tradition after marriage. They put on their wedding dress (which they must sew themselves) for Sunday church services.

12. Education



Amish children study in small schools for one class with teachers from the community. After completing this primary education, the child begins to receive vocational training (for example, agricultural and carpentry skills) from his family and community members.

13. Preaching

Those looking to join the Amish Church will face certain challenges. First, you need to learn the German dialect spoken by the Pennsylvanian Amish (some speak only German), and also give up the modern conveniences that the Amish simply do not have. The new convert is settled in an Amish family to adapt to their lifestyle. After a sufficient period of acclimatization in the church, a vote is taken on the appropriateness of recognizing a potential convert as a member of the community.

And in continuation of the topic about one more people with an interesting history -.

Since my pictures do not cause any reaction, which is very depressing ... considering the downpour outside the window ... In short, I made a strong-willed decision - to stop doing unnecessary garbage, I will not post them anymore. Instead, you have to entertain you with local bikes.

The other day, that is, last week, I had a chance to talk with the Amish.

For those who are not in the tank

Amish is one of the offshoots in Mennonism. The name comes from Jacob Amman, a Mennonite leader in Alsace in the second half of the 17th century. The main feature of their doctrine is a stricter adherence to the Holy Scriptures. The Amish emphasize the separation of church and state in Paul's Epistle to the Romans.

Amish leaders are not professional church ministers. They are chosen by lot and carry out their activities free of charge.

The Amish do not have prayer buildings. Divine services are held in turn in the private homes of fellow believers. Services are held every Sunday. On Sundays when there is no service (Friendship Sunday), the Amish rest and visit friends. Each Amish community has two preachers. The bishop and deacon serve in two congregations, conducting services in them alternately on different Sundays. The Amish speak to each other in a dialect of German, but in general they speak excellent English.

Women wear long, monochromatic dresses, usually black, blue or green, but with an obligatory apron: for a married woman it is black, for an unmarried woman it is white. Dresses do not differ in a special variety of colors and cuts - there are only two of them: a dress with a sewn-in skirt and a dress with an apron (similar to the Russian school uniform of the 70s - 80s). All girls and women wear caps - white or black, covering the back of the head and tied with ribbons under the chin.

The men wear black and navy blue suits. The clothes are sewn so that there is not a single button. This is because buttons were considered a luxury item, and were not used or used minimally, so that they would not be visible on clothes. If there were several open buttons on a coat or jacket, then these clothes had to be removed at the entrance to the church, or rather, the house where they prayed. Trousers support suspenders; There are no buttons on the trousers, they are replaced by a system of hooks and loops. Pure color shirts; white - for church services. Men's wardrobe is complemented by a black felt hat or straw. Children dress the same way as adults, boys usually wear straw hats.

In relations with the worldly environment, they behave in a closed manner; they have retained their way of life and appearance almost unchanged since the 17th century. The Amish live in a community, help each other, run a subsistence economy, give birth to many children, do not use the products of civilization, such as electricity, vehicles (the Amish are allowed to ride in a car as a passenger, but not a driver), they sew clothes for themselves, they only buy material in a store , do not go to public schools: they have their own, where education is eight years old. The Amish pay taxes, but they don’t go to the National Insurance Fund, which means they don’t receive a pension either: they take care of their old people themselves. They also treat themselves, probably, they have their own healers, because in the eight grades you will hardly master the wisdom of medicine. But, I suppose, they have good health: this is both natural selection and a healthy lifestyle. The bans on the use of electricity, cars and other elements of civilization are dictated not by religious, but by the moral convictions of the Emish: not the very use of technical goods is condemned, but their possible moral consequences. The Amish do not like to be photographed, as they believe that their images can be used "for evil".

The Amish rarely bind themselves in marriage with someone outside their community, and only Mennonites are exempt. As a result of cross-marriages within small communities, the Amish are prone to genetic degradation. If children do not like the life of their parents, they may well choose another life. The basic Amish law is "heaven through hard work."

At the beginning of the 18th century, part of the Amish moved to the United States (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana), where Quaker Wilhelm Penn, who proclaimed freedom of religion, granted refuge to the Amish and Mennonites in the southeastern part of the state. The main city of the district and the center of the "country of the Emish" is Cross Keys (modern name - Intercourse).

Strict adherence to Mennonite traditionalism led to a split in the Amish. In 1865, ultra-conservative fellow believers moved away from the Amish. The most liberal groups merged in the 10-20s of the XX century with the Mennonite Church in the United States and entered the Central Mennonite Conference (founded in 1899).

The Amish, not allied with the Mennonite Church, established the Conservative Amish Mennonite Conference in 1910, which was renamed the Conservative Mennonite Church in 1954.

Amish population in the United States at the end of the 20th century - 90-120 thousand people living mainly in Ohio. The Amish and Mennonites in the United States are collectively referred to as "Pennsylvania dutch" (Pennsylvania Dutch). The Amish call the rest of the United States "English".

In 198, a film called "The Witness" was released with Harrison Ford in the title role. Many people think that the best Amish movie is hard to come by, as the director showed the Amish community with great respect.

The Amish family I spoke to is impressive. They were stately, thin, in a little baggy old clothes. The Amish are very tall: men under two meters, women under 1.80 meters. Men do not shave their beards and wear straw hats. Such good, strong, open people, real peasants. Big, strong, hard-working hands. For some reason, I immediately thought that it was thanks to such people that the West was conquered. They speak English very cleanly without an accent. Respect for elders is strictly observed, if the head of the family speaks, then everyone else remains silent.

This family came to Canada from the States to visit friends. However, the Americans got angry at them for something and gave them, in addition to the American passports they had, a paper showing that they had no citizenship. So it turns out that in the States they are not very fond of, and according to them, with the coming to power of Bush, everything only worsened and they began to gradually survive. In Canada, they are also unwelcome guests, given the Canadian-American good-neighborly relationship. In short, the Amish decided to rip their claws .... that's right, to Russia. They say they told us so much that the Russians are evil, that they are bad, but we are convinced that this is not so. We have been to your country and we liked it very much. So, they say, we want to get a residence permit, move to Russia (they are thinking about the Kaliningrad region), they are actively learning Russian (our daughters are already tolerably good at writing and chatting, adults are reading printed text and continue to actively carp). We wrote a letter to the Minister of Agriculture Gordeev and the Governor of the Kaliningrad Region with a request to provide assistance .. In general, things are moving ...

My story will be about the Amish country. We were warned and asked not to photograph our faces, so I found several pictures on the Internet, and took the rest myself. Who are the Amish?
The Amish are a Christian movement of Mennonite origin. The founder is Jacob Amman, a priest from Switzerland who emigrated to Alsace (Germany) in the second half of the 17th century.
Amish family Their church doctrine can be characterized as the most conservative variant of Mennonism. The main feature of their doctrine is a stricter adherence to the Holy Scriptures. At the beginning of the 18th century, part of the Amish moved to the United States (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana), where Quaker Wilhelm Penn (Pennsylvania), who proclaimed freedom of religion, provided refuge to the Amish and Mennonites in the southeastern part of the state.
All 12,500 Lancaster County Emish are descendants of a couple of dozen families who emigrated from Europe in the early 18th century. Therefore, looking at the mailboxes in front of the houses there, you see the same names everywhere - Ash, Lapp, Scholzfuss, Fischer ...
Amish. For the entire progressive community, they were "discovered" by a couple of hippies who embarked on romantic travel. Still - suddenly, in the midst of the XXl century, in the heart of the most progressive country, stumble upon a tribe that fundamentally refuses electricity and higher education, from its own transport (horses are not counted), cameras, cinema and other rapidly gushing benefits of scientific and technological progress. Like the Old Believers, several centuries ago they recognized the European Church as a champion of sin and preferred to shut themselves up in the harsh achievement of paradise by a commune, an honest life before God. Amish churches do not build, but pray at their fellow tribesmen, each in turn, put benches in the front room.
At first, seeing the beards of men, you perceive the Amish as Orthodox Jews, but the Amish have nothing to do with Jews. You can't take pictures, there are no photos on the walls, but there are so-called "family lists" (I don't even know what to call it).
Here are two from the same family. One list of parents, the other - of a modern family - name, month and year of birth. Pay attention to the names - Jewish? Or biblical?
As an example, we visited one Amish house. The decor in the house was very simple - I did not notice any decorations, but everything bore the stamp of care and love.
The house was lit by gas burners (other houses also use kerosene). In the kitchen I saw a refrigerator - gas. In general, the kitchen turned out to be the largest room in the house.
And, as I understood, this is not just a place where they cook and eat, but a kind of center of all family life: Rebecca said that it is usually in it that people read, sew, and when the children were young, they played and did their homework there. The house also has its own water supply, powered by a wind turbine. Their women do not know cosmetics, jewelry, even buttons (and of course, also a version of embellishment!), The style of the dress has been stable for the last two hundred years.
Actually, the style. Dresses should be monochromatic, without buttons (if you need to attach something - only with a pin), one style and two or three - no more, so that everyone is equal and does not stand out and does not feel that one is richer than the other. The dresses are monochromatic - blue, purple or dark gray, made of thin fabric, similar to wool, but with an obligatory apron: for a married woman it is black, for an unmarried woman it is white.
Even a wedding dress is sewn in one color, without decoration, in the same style, so that tomorrow you can wear it to work. It is considered debauchery for Amish women to appear on the streets after dark for no particular reason.
Men do not shave their beards (mustaches are prohibited by law, they are beardless) and do not know how to hold a weapon in their hands. They do not serve in the army or only in units where they do not hold weapons in their hands. They have never fought in their American history.
Most of them wear clothes and hats of certain colors and styles, ride in old horse-drawn carts, use only steel wheels (without shock absorbers to feel the ground), plow the land with a horse plow.
Amishevskie men's hats
On the right, a high hat is for the holiday, and on the left, lower hats, which are allowed to be worn by young men (of marriageable age) who may already marry
The trousers are supported by suspenders, there are no buttons on the trousers, they are replaced by a system of hooks, loops and ties, as worn by sailors.
But the Amish work hard - sorry, in the sweat of their brow they get their bread (as well as meat and dairy products and all kinds of vegetables and fruits) in the bosom of nature, give birth to children about ten (abortions and condoms are prohibited), on Sundays they go to each other's guests to Protestant services - singing chorales, reading the Bible or a general fun meal.
They are forbidden to serve in the army, take pictures, drive cars and fly in airplanes, have computers, televisions, radios, wear wristwatches and wedding rings.
In tolerant America, a special type of passport was developed for them - without a photograph: but they do not need to leave America and they have nothing to do - they are prohibited from flying, the maximum that they allow themselves is a scooter and then you can go no faster than one horse!
Schools are a special topic. The school consists of one class (room) where children from 7 to 15 years old study, all together. And they are taught by a 15-year-old teacher who has just finished it herself.
In their own schools, they study only those subjects and only to the extent that they will be useful on farms: botany, zoology, arithmetic, the basics of geometry. Of the books, apart from children's books, in the Soviet propaganda style, they only kept the Bible for themselves. Of the paintings - wall calendars and a newspaper that they themselves print about the weather, harvest, milk yield, sowing or harvest.
The loom Amish cannot be made at the behest of the heart. They can only be born. And, of course, to stay, because humane Anabaptists once in their life, in their youth, all members of the commune are given a choice: either to be baptized finally, or to go into the big world. Before that, they are allowed to try to live in the world, to see what it is like there. The most fantastic thing is that from 75 to 95 percent, having looked at America, return back under the laborious but well-fed Amish shelter. Only in adulthood do they take the deliberate step of being baptized.
"Juicer" driven by a water pump. On the one hand, where should they go with their education, life ideas and communal experience? On the other hand, houses will never be abandoned, kicked out, raised by the whole world, put on their feet, not allowed to disappear, etc. Naturally, such a Protestant paradise. They do not have divorces (which is understandable), which is why young men are allowed to communicate freely enough with girls of marriageable age. Free - it means talking, joking, walking together on a Sunday, and not at all what you thought. This itself cannot be there before the wedding, and if a misfortune happened, then marriage is inevitable, period. For all their closeness, they communicate well with their non-Amish neighbors, sometimes, with a shortage of land and a constant increase in population (and there are, by the way, two hundred thousand of them!) more modest than the Amish - you can't find a worker. - They eat hearty and high-calorie (like the old descendants of the Swiss), drink little (once), do not steal, do not use foul language and love life, people, economy - with simple, healthy love. They honestly pay taxes, so they don't go to jail.
In the cemeteries, there are identical tombstones with the date of birth and death. There are no more improved monuments, all mortals are the same!
The coffin The coffin stands in the house of the deceased for three days, half closed, so that whoever wants to say goodbye can arrive, and the speed of movement does not exceed the speed of one horse! Oops, you can't take pictures ...
What faces! There is no trace of sadness, anger, discontent on them. While they were painting for us the beauty of the local hostel, we, of course, together felt sorry for the poor Amish women with their three dresses, a dozen children and everyday work to the point of exhaustion. Well, men, in general, too ...
And books! .. The Bible is the most beautiful text, but never in my life read a single secular line ?! Not to hear secular music ?! Impressionists not to see? And not even know that you can want to see and hear all this ...
Caps for married women in the shape of a heart In general, filled with horror and compassion for these holy creatures, we went to the market - to get acquainted with them. And I was shocked to the roots of my soul by their radiant, dazzling, fantastic beauty of these very young women in heart-shaped caps and tightly closed old ladies' dresses.
How they smile while serving the tourist. What kind of eyes they have when they look at us, modern, stylish, bright, not a bit like them, without a shadow of envy or indignation, but simply - with interest and affection. A few minutes of communication literally turned my ideas about female beauty upside down. The aura of love for their neighbor that they radiate really dyes them better than royal clothes.
An integral part of the interior of the Amish house is a quilt made of shreds - called a quilt, as well as wooden things - chests, chairs, beds, rocking chairs.
Unpretentious children's toy Children's toys - simple, home-made: rag dolls, wooden trains, cubes.
Even their chickens are strange, environmentally friendly. Of course, I would not like to live in this paradise for a second, but the fact that it is possible, real, happy and inspired - does not cause any doubts in me. Even with all its artificiality, inexperience and favorable historical circumstances.

And for the rest of America, the Amish are such a popular romantic brand, "strangers among us" - they are being watched, their products, fortunately natural and delicious, are sold out with a bang. I tried cheese and honey - really delicious.
They grow tobacco, although they do not smoke themselves. In response, the Amish, not afraid of globalization, calmly and without turning around, are building their earthly New Jerusalem. And their biggest problem at the moment is the high percentage of related marriages. But with a total of two hundred thousand ... I hope the problem can be solved. Let us live on a feast for the eyes.
The star on the house speaks of the hospitality of the owners. You can knock on such a house and spend the night
Then we visited a fair where we bought some products (not cheap), but environmentally friendly. It was interesting for me and I listened with curiosity about the life of "strange", in my opinion, people.