After long hard thought and prayer, with both genders consenting to getting to know each other better, dating begins. "Going out is not as much the thing as coming in," said the local Amish man. Typically the young man will come to the girl's home and they may go for a walk or play games with the girl's family or talk.
The marriages are dependent on if they are between two members of the Amish church or a member and an outsider of the Amish church. The decision to marry a person outside of the Amish church is one that comes with a decision to be made by the person in the community, but before they are baptized by the church.
Dating among the Amish typically begins around age 16 with most Amish couples marrying between the ages of 20 and 22. To find a prospective date, the young adults socialize at functions such as frolics, church, or home visits. One of the most popular activities is the Sunday night singing.
Most Amish relationships start at a young age as the youth see each other almost every Sunday. Outside of practicing hymns after church, they're able to mingle and get to know each other. The proposal is like more traditional proposals in that it's still romantic.
Marriage in the Amish community is seen as a passage into adulthood. To get married in the Amish community, members must be baptized in the church. Outsiders, non-Amish, or 'English', as they call the rest of the world, are not permitted to marry within the Amish community.
The Amish wedding night will usually be spent in the bride's parent's home, as the couple will need to assist in clean up the following day. They will then spend their first months of marriage – their honeymoon – visiting relatives. (This is when most gifts they receive will be given.)
Not only do the Amish not actively practice polygamy, they certainly don't believe in it. They view polygamy as adultery. Although the various Amish settlements may interpret certain rules slightly differently, there is no deviation from this law. The Amish believe in traditional marriage between one man and one woman.
Unmarried Amish men and women aren't supposed to have any physical contact with each other. This includes kissing, hugging, and even holding hands.
Feminine Hygiene
Female Amish wash their hair and wear it in a bun. As for makeup, Amish women aren't allowed to wear cosmetics or adornments considered worldly. This includes lipstick, mascara, eye shadow, and jewelry.
Amish men and women usually assume traditional and well-defined gender roles. Husbands carry the primary responsibility for the financial well-being of the family. Wives typically devote themselves to housekeeping and motherhood.
The couple is allowed to talk to each other during the night, but they're not allowed to touch each other. Not only does this ensure that they remain chaste, it protects them from forming premature emotional and physical bonds. The Amish believe strongly in remaining sexually pure before marriage.
The blue door is a physical representation of their commitment to God, humility, and simplicity. In the eyes of the Amish, blue represents tranquility, peace, and elegance. It's a platform for self-expression and a reminder to outsiders that the Amish have chosen a life of strength, courage, and resilience.
It is clear that women are valued in Amish culture, and on some levels are even afforded types of equality and freedoms that women outside of Amish society might not be. In Amish weddings, for example, the woman is not “given away” by her father to her future husband, as is often done in non-Amish weddings.
What happens when an Amish husband dies? Remarriage After the Death of a Spouse. Widows and widowers may enter a courtship and remarry, and many Amish people do after losing a loved one. Because the Amish have large families, remarriage results in large extended families.
In the case of Amish women, this identification of marital status is very simple. The bonnets they wear are how to tell if an Amish woman is married. They all wear traditional bonnets on their heads, but while single women wear black, married women wear white.
Yes. The Amish in Lancaster, Pennsylvania celebrate Christmas. As you might expect though, Amish Christmas celebrations are done in a much simpler way. You won't find Amish families visiting Santa Claus, decorating their homes with Christmas lights, or putting an elf on their shelf.
All types of birth control, and also all forms of natural family planning such as calendar-based methods, are forbidden in Old-Order Amish communities. However, especially in recent years, more Amish women have begun using contraception.
As part of their Ordnung, Old Order Amish forbid owning automobiles; tapping electricity from public utility lines; owning televisions, radios, or personal computers; attending high school or college; joining the military; and initiating divorce. All Amish groups expect men and women to wear prescribed clothing.
However, in addition to the modesty aspect, women must keep their heads covered at all times so that they can pray at any time. Both modesty and prayer are central to the daily lives of Amish people and for women, wearing head coverings and bonnets is an important part of that.
According to the Schwartzentruber Amish Ordinance Letter, Amish women are not permitted to shave their legs or underarms. Amish ordinances also forbid women from cutting their hair.
The practice of wearing Amish bonnets or head coverings is stated explicitly in 1 Corinthians 11. It strongly suggests that men should keep their heads uncovered during prayer and prophesying, while women should wear head coverings at all times, especially during prayers.
The Amish don't believe in divorce. It's prohibited within their communities and goes against their core beliefs.
The Amish stay up after dark, but they go to bed early: typically between 9 and 9.30pm in summer, and more like 8.30-9pm in winter. Most people start work at around 5.30am, so they're often up by 4.45am.
The languages most commonly spoken by the Amish are Pennsylvania Dutch and English. Amish community members use Pennsylvania Dutch when conversing with each other in their community. English is only really used for communicating with outsiders.