Who are the Amish people? And how do they live?

Because I’ve always heard things about the Amish people, I wanted to visit a community. We drove towards Lancaster, Pennsylvania's "Amish Country," made famous by the 1985 Harrison Ford movie Witness.

We made a stop at Bird-in-Hand, where we visited a Farmer’s Market, a bakery,... Between Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse (Yes! This is the name of a village) on Route 340, we stopped at a place where they offered an Amish Experience. Here you can watch a movie about the Amish, take a bus tour,... but we decided to see an Amish house on the inside. And I have to say it was most interesting. I learned a lot about how the Amish people live.



So, how do they live?

• They don’t have cars and still ride their buggies.




• No electricity. They use refrigerators and washing machines powered with gaspower. No television, videogames, cell phones or internet for them! They find it takes away family time.





• They go to school in one-room schools up till they’re 14. The children have no homework! The parents believe the time in school is enough to educate their children well. After they finish school, they each learn a skill. The boys learn to make furniture or work in construction and the girls learn to make quilts, help in a bakery,...




• They wear special clothes. It’s not a costume, they say, it’s an expression of their faith. They wear modest clothes with long sleeves, dark colors.



• The men grow beards after they get married.



• They speak English and German.



• Weddings are held only in the months of November and December, when the Harvest season has been completed. They have big weddings with over 200 people there.



• They do not take photographs or allow themselves to be photographed. To do so would be evidence of vanity and pride. They remember deceased family members with dates in a frame.

Read more in my travel journal
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