 |
- Adventure Tours
- Argentina Tours
- Australia Tours
- Bahamas Tours
- Bolivia Tours
- Brasil Tours
- Burma Tours
- Cambodia Tours
- Cuba Tours
- Egypt Tours
- Ethiopia Tours
- Hong Kong Tours
- India Tours
- Indonesia Tours
- Israel Tours
- Italy Tours
- Japan Tours
- Jordan Tours
- Malaysia Tours
- Maldives Tours
- Mexico Tours
Visit an Amish Village
It’s a trip in time
As a matter of fact, intermingling with the Amish community, interacting with them and on top of it taking their photos or filming them is not that easy as it seems. Normally, they are not pleased with us intervening with their life style but then its a misconception that the Amish seem stuck in history without accepting modernities of innovations.
Although the Amish have dispersed in 22 states of America, their original settlement and center is in Pennysilvania and that is where we visited them. But let us first give a brief insight of how the Amish became the Amish with their particular and unique way of life.
Amish History
The Amish tradition started
with the Anabaptist movement in Europe during the time of Reformation.
They believed that only adults who had confessed their faith could be
baptized and that doing this they should lead separate lives than of
the larger society. Many Anabaptist were persecuted fo their beliefs
by both Catholics and Protestants so they fled to the mountains of Switzerland
and Germany. It was here that the Amish tradition of farming and holding
their way of worshipping in homes rather than churches formed.
Later on, led by William Penn’s experiment of religious tolerance
, the Amish settled in Pennysilvania.
The Amish have their particular beliefs concerning baptism, non resistance and basic Bible doctrines and they have unquestionnably stuck to it since the 1500’s.
As we walked through the Amish village, it seemed as time had really stopped, as if we were still in the rural 1900’s where every need was provided or done via primal means. Transportation was done by horses or buggies (no cars), they did not have electricity in their homes, and the sent their children to private, one room school houses in which children only attend through 8th grade afterwards they work on their family farm or business until they get married.
The Amish also have a particular way of dressing, women wear modes dressed made from solid colored fabric with long sleeves and full skirt complemented by a cape and apron. Amish women never cut their hair which they wear in a bun on the back of their 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.
The Amish feel these distinctive clothes encourage humility and separation from the world. Their clothing is not a costume; it is an expression of their faith.
However once in a while, it was funny even paradoxical to see individuals in buggies dressed in “blast from the past Little House in the Prairie” wearing Rayban sunglasses or roller blading through the streets. We were told and explained that the Amish choose to examine chage carefully before they accept it. If a new idea does not asist in keeping their lives simple and families together, they reject it.
We attended a basic commercial transaction where hay was
bought by Amish farmers. Interesting and definitely not as complicated
as would be in our modern lives. Both vendor and buyer happy for their
simple uncomplicated agreement. (All in all its just hay)
It was also fascinating to discover that the Amish are trilinguil (a
global side to them).
They speak a dialect of German called Pennysilvania Dutch at home and use High German at their worship services and they learn English in schools. They spoke English with us ( the used language with non Amish people).
The Amish believe that God has kept them together despite
pressure to change from the modern world.
While walking through the Amish village, we discovered something that
we had long forgotten, the happiness and peace in a simple life sorrounded
by nature, friendly neighbours that care for their fellow members, strong
community ties that will support you all through your life.The Amish
may be way apart from our modern way of life, but are absolutely more
together than us who have developed social numbness with the fast growing
technology….
USA Tours
Visit the pow pow Indian Festival