Ponderin' The Past...With The Amish, part 3 - Lifestyle

Here we are, on the final part of our series on the Amish! Enjoy!


As is obvious, the Amish lifestyle is very different from ours. For one, they dress differently. The men wear straight-cut suits and coats without collars or pockets, and they are usually black, though in some communities they can be found wearing dark grey, navy blue, or brown.  Their pants never have cuffs and are worn with suspenders. The men are clean shaven before marriage but after matrimony they are required to grow a beard, but no mustaches.
The women, on the other hand, wear full skirted, long sleeved, solid colored dresses. Over that they wear a cape. They have black socks and black shoes. Women always wear caps on their head, and pull their uncut hair back in a simple, tight bun.  Men are not to see a woman's hair down unless she is his wife or young daughter. When going on outings or to church, women usually wear black bonnets over their caps.

The Amish, rather than having regular jobs to bring home money, are farmers, carpenters, and in some communities, store owners. As I pointed out in one of the previous posts, Amish children do not go to school past the 8th grade. The boys leave to work in the fields or help in their father's shop while the girls stay home to learn how to be a homemaker and to help their mothers with their younger siblings. The Amish are usually married before the age of 25.


The Old Order Amish also do not use electricity or phones, though some New Order Amish do use some both for their jobs. Both Orders use horses for transportation. Horses are only used for pulling buggies or farm equipment and are not permitted to be ridden.


The Amish are really fascinating to learn about. I hope you enjoyed this series! I know I enjoyed researching them more. :-)

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Photo credit: Lori Warman