The Amish

The Amish are a group of traditionalist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German anabaptist origins. They are closely related to, but distinct from, mennonite churches. The Amish are known for simple living, plain dress, and reluctance to adopt many conveniences of modern technology.

The greatest concentration of Amish is in Holmes and adjoining counties in northeast Ohio, about 78 miles south of Cleveland. Next in size is a group of Amish people in Elkhart and surrounding counties in northeastern Indiana. Then comes the Amish settlement in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Old Order Amish women and girls wear modest dresses made from solid-colored fabric with long sleeves and a full skirt (not shorter than half-way between knee and floor). These dresses are covered with a cape and apron and are fastened with straight pins or snaps. They never cut their hair, which they wear in a bun on the back of the head. On their heads they wear a white prayer covering if they are married and a black one if they are single. Amish women do not wear jewelry.

Men and boys wear dark-colored suits, straight-cut coats without lapels, broadfall trousers, suspenders, solid-colored shirts, black socks and shoes, and black or straw broad-brimmed hats. Their shirts fasten with conventional buttons, but their suit coats and vests fasten with hooks and eyes. They do not have mustaches, but they grow beards after they marry.

Some typical job amish do are Home construction, crafting furniture, machine and engine repair, food stands, factory work, produce farming, raising livestock, small retail stores such as bulk foods and variety stores, auctioneering, and craft making/sales are among the jobs you’ll find Amish men and women doing. Amish women work too. Besides their work as mothers, Amish women are tasked with running the household, which involves preparing meals, readying the home for church and other visits, planting and tending the garden, canning and processing food, and many other tasks. But quite a few Amish women take on additional jobs to generate an income as well–whether it be quilting in the home, running a roadside stand, baking, or operating a food stand at a Pennsylvania Dutch market. However, men are expected to be the primary earners in Amish homes.

 Amish couples may have 10 children or more. Fifteen is not unheard of, particularly in more conservative affiliations. Family size varies across groups, but the average number is likely in the range of “only” six to eight children per family. Amish also have extensive extended families. Family, community, and church are three fundamental units in Amish society. Amish feel that raising children to be good Christians is their highest calling as parents. Though individual Amish families are not perfect and may have their own problems, they feel that a strong family life plays an essential role in their journeys towards Christ.

The Amish believe strongly in education, but only provide formal education through the eighth grade. They are exempt from state compulsory attendance beyond the eighth grade based on religious principles. Schooling concentrates on the basic reading, writing and math skills, along with vocational training and socialization in Amish history and values

The amish choose this way to life because this is because they lead a very simplistic lifestyle that is free of the modern conveniences that the majority of the country takes for granted. This lifestyle is born of their religious beliefs, to which they are strongly devoted. To the outside world the Amish are a curiosity.Another reason is that the amish choose this way to live so they can pay more attention to family, community and religion.