The Amish

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

Life-style of Amish people

(from the Mysore Star, a local newspaper)

 

By R.Gururaja

 

First Monday in September each year is observed as Labour Day in United States of America; with the weekend preceding it, gives the Americans the three-day holiday.

 

 

Hari telephoned from office that I should be ready to visit the State of Pennsylvania to see three most important places, the Amish Country in Lancaster, The Hershey Chocolate World and Old-age Homes of Moravian Manor in Lititz.

 

 

It is a three-and-half-hour drive from New York to the State of Pennsylvania, passing through the States of New York and New Jersey covering about 175 miles. The Varrazona Narrows Bridge, an Engineering marvel, perhaps the largest in its genre in the world is an important landmark on the route.

 

 

We reached the information centre in Lancaster city to collect the details and modes of touring the Amish stronghold.

 

 

At the information centre a 15-minute free guide film is shown to learn about the culture, customs and life styles of the Amish people who live today in the heart of Lancaster County, just as they did in the 17th century.

 

 

There are various modes of covering the tour, the bicycle tour, the horse-drawn buggy tour, bus tour with a guide but we took the auto-tape tour, an easy-to-use 90 minute cassette tape with music and sound effects that lets you set your own pace — in your own car, while a knowledgeable guide describes the highlights mile-by-mile. The cassette costs 12.75 dollars.

 

 

The tour in our own car takes us past near Amish Homes-teads, one-room school houses, see Amish people walking along the roads, driving carts and buggies and working their farms with plough mules and their own hands. The cavalcade, kitchen kettle, chair shop, bookstore, handcrafted quilts and crafts, bakery, Amish theatre, farmers markets, candle outlets, covered bridges etc., making up the Amish package.

 

 

There are about 20,000 Amish people in the Lancaster County. The Amish, the Mennonites and the Brethren are the different groups. All are Christians. There are eight Amish, 21 Mennonite and nine Brethren groups. They share the common features of adult baptism by choice, non-violence, non-resistance, but differ in dress and use of technology. The Brethren and Mennonites use cars and electricity and are not averse to technology.

 

 

But the Amish are conservative. Their dress is plain and simple. Men wear dark-coloured suits, black hats, solid coloured shirts, black socks and shoes. Women's dresses are made with long sleeves and a full skirt. Their hair is never cut. It is worn in a bun. They are not permitted to wear jewellery or printed fabric.

 

 

Men do not grow moustaches and wait to grow beards until after they are wed. Single women wear a black prayer covering and after marriage they change to a white one.

 

 

The Amish are basically farmers. They practice a life of hard work, thrift and self -sufficiency.

 

 

The Amish are averse to modern technology. Electricity, telephones, television and tractors are considered tempting forces that would lead to break-up of their close-knit community.

 

 

The Amish do not take photos of themselves but would allow any visitors or outsiders to take their photos. It is tantamount to developing egoism and anti-god attitude. Thou shall not make to thyself a graven image, nor the likeness of anything that is in heaven or in the earth beneath.

 

 

The Amish children attend school up to 8th grade only. They study reading, writing, English, Mathematics, Geography, History, German, Music and The Bible in one-room School hou-ses. Farming and home-making are more important than book-learning.

 

 

The Amish speak three languages — German, Dialect English and High German. Large families with seven to eight children are common. The Amish are Christians but they worship in their own homes. Groups of 150-200 gather in homes in turn to worship.

 

 

The elderly are not sent to nursing homes but are cared for at home. Each house is so constructed that there are independent but interdependent portions. The children knock at the doors of the grandparents when they do want fun. The young couples do enjoy themselves in another portion.

 

 

The Amish pay taxes but do not depend upon social security schemes. They work upon their own unique self-dependent measures, which generate savings after caring for a simple but healthy and comfortable type of living.

 

 

[Gauracandra]

Yes the Amish are very interesting. I've been studying up on them a bit trying to find unique ideas they may have that we can incorporate into Krsna Consciousness.

 

I've been doing this with a few religions (the Mormons were before the Amish). Here is one interesting thing about the Amish. They have no communal church building. What they do is every week on Sunday the entire community goes to another person's house for services. And so they cycle through the entire community holding prayer every week at a different location.

 

I thought this might be an interesting model. If there were a community of devotees, perhaps there would be no temple. But the entire community would go to another members house, kind of like the Nama Hatta programs. It would just be simple kirtan, no sunday feast. It would be one way to strengthen devotee community ties.

 

They really are interesting. I must say I admire their hard work ethic and simple values.

 

Gauracandra

[Krsnacandra dasa]

Originally posted by Gauracandra:

I've been doing this with a few religions (the Mormons were before the Amish). Here is one interesting thing about the Amish. They have no communal church building. What they do is every week on Sunday the entire community goes to another person's house for services. And so they cycle through the entire community holding prayer every week at a different location.

 

I thought this might be an interesting model. If there were a community of devotees, perhaps there would be no temple. But the entire community would go to another members house, kind of like the Nama Hatta programs. It would just be simple kirtan, no sunday feast. It would be one way to strengthen devotee community ties.

Definetely interesting. This has been done already, though. Badger, California for instance, is a rural community made up of several grhasta families who are disciples of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaj. Although they have no temple, I believe they alternate between visiting one another, but for the most part they stick to visiting those with larger homes capable of supporting a large group of people.

 

During the tour, however, they set up a tent, stage, and makeshift kitchen.

[Gauracandra]

Thanks for the reply Krsnacandra. I was thinking this would be a good practice for the farming communities. In the city it would be a bit difficult because of the neighbors who would complain. But at a farming community I think this practice would be ideal. Plus it would be a great incentive to do a Maha-clean up I know I would

 

Gauracandra