What do you know about the Amish ?

Hello students,

Today I´m gonna talk about a very important community in the USA, the Amish. Many people don´t know about it. I´m here to share some information with you. Let´s see.

History

The Amish have been in America for a long time. The first ones arrived in the early 18th century to escape religious persecution in Europe and to find land to farm.They live in many countries. You can find them even here in Brazil, the Mennonite group.

Language

The Pennsylvania Dutch are not Dutch at all. The word Dutch is a corruption of "Deutsch" or German, of which they speak an ancient dialect. Because of its isolation, the language has a very different pronunciation than current German and has been influenced by the English of surrounding populations. Some Amish, notably in Indiana, speak a version closer to Swiss-German. They also speak English, of course. So donpt be worry about meeting na Amish person.

Where they live

With farming at the center of their lives and their population rapidly expanding due to large families, the Amish, anxious not be influenced by modern ways, are always seeking out new land away from urban areas. After initially settling in Ohio, they are now found in 30 states as well as Canada. Ohio has the largest Amish population, followed by Pennsylvania and Indiana.

Growth

The Amish are one of the fastest-growing population groups in America. According to the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College in Lancaster, Pa., their population has risen from about 5,000 in 1920 to almost 300,000 today.  The population explosion is due to a belief in large families, seen as a blessing from God. The large number of children also provide labor for their farming enterprises.

Technology

Amish life is governed by the "Ordnung," a German word for order. The rules vary from community to community. According to the Young Center, "Most Amish groups forbid owning automobiles, tapping electricity from public utility lines, using self-propelled farm machinery, owning a television, radio, and computer, attending high school and college, joining the military, and initiating divorce." Photos are banned because they might cultivate personal vanity, which runs against the church's prohibition of "hochmut," a word meaning pride, arrogance and/or haughtiness.

Schooling

Amish children typically only attend school through eighth grade, mostly at private schools, but about 10% in public schools, according to the Young Center. Their right to end school at age 14 was confirmed by a 1972 ruling of the United States Supreme Court. Instruction is in both English and their German dialect.

Diversity

The Amish are not a single unit. There are four main groups — the Old Order, the New Order, the Beachy Amish and Amish Mennonites — with many subgroups and different rules within these categories.

You can find some minorities of Mennonites in Brazil. Watch this:

Dress

Plainness is the governor of Amish clothing. Some groups are restricted to black and white while others allow muted colors. Buttons are frowned upon because of their potential for ostentation, and such things as Velcro and zippers are banned. Instead, clothes are fastened by pins or hook-and-eye closures. Slightly smarter clothes, such as capes, are used for religious services.

Dating

Perhaps the most famous aspect of Amish social life is "Rumspringa," which means "running around" in the Pennsylvania German dialect. According to the Young Center, it is the time, beginning at about age 16, when youth socialize with their friends on weekends. Rumspringa ends with marriage. Apart from introducing young men and women to one another, this period is an important time when Amish youth need to decide if they will be baptized and join the church, which usually occurs between 18 and 21, or leave the Amish community.

I hope you enjoyed reading about them. If you have any question, please feel free to contact me. I had a day visit to an Amish community in Pensylvania this year.

See you!!

Luzirene Barros












Main source:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/15/amish-ten-things-you-need-to-know/14111249/