The Amish are a conservative Christian sect – just like Mennonites – who live in close-knit communities in the US and Canada. They are known for their simple lifestyle and their refusal to adopt many modern technologies – preferring to stick to a more old-fashioned way of life.
The Amish culture is fascinating. They follow a set of rules – called the Amish Ordnung – that dictate every aspect of their lives, from what clothes they wear to how they conduct business.
The Amish believe in hard work and
living a simple life. Many of their customs are based on the teachings
of the Bible. For example, they believe in large families, living off
the land, and shunning material possessions. MORE
No photos
One of the many things that the Amish follow strictly are the avoidance of photographs, or more specifically, getting their pictures taken. For them, taking pictures of oneself promotes vanity and vanity is not needed and disrupts the peace in the Amish community. Ever since the beginning, they did not take any photos, so new generation never knew what their great godparents or ancestors looked like. Although they don’t like taking photos of themselves, they don’t mind getting photographed by people. As long as they don’t seem to be posing because posing is also a sign of vanity and as long as people don’t treat them like zoo animals, watching them and taking photos of their every move. They allow people from the outside and tourists to look at them and take photos of their places and appearances, knowing that they are a unique and interesting group of people.
No technology, no electricity
Amish people believe that technology is a form of evil because it provides easy contact with worldly ideas and values. They also believe that technology that makes life easier takes away the value of hardwork and diligence from their children, causing them to just rely on modernity. So because of this, Amish people live using ancient tools and equipment. Most Amish communities also don’t employ the use of electricity, so they create their own electricity from solar power or other energy sources as they don’t want to be part of the same line that distributes electricity to the rest of the world.
Amish people don’t wear jewelry, and hence there are no Amish wedding rings either, but there’s a very simple way for a young Amish man to know if a girl he likes is already taken.
The bonnet she wears is how to tell if an Amish girl is married. An Amish woman wears a white bonnet on her head once she gets married, so any would-be suitors won’t make a mistake. (single women wear black, married women wear white.)
Beards?
Outsiders often find this odd, but there’s a historical reason for it. It’s one of the few Amish norms that are not directly based on religious teaching, although there’s an indirect link to their values.
Let’s explain. Mustaches were seen as emblems of British military men in the past. The Amish would have seen this in the early days of America’s rise to independence.
As the Amish are forbidden from engaging in warfare, or anything that perpetuates violence, they soon prohibited the wearing of the mustache.
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