Customs you may have heard of,
customs you may have not
What would happen if you attended a party
and happened to arrive in the same outfi t as
a friend? The response for some might be
an uncomfortable laugh and a trip home to
change. For the Amish, though, twinning is the
goal. The Amish have a mindset that’s opposite
from ours. They don’t want to stand out. They
want to blend in, and they tend to dress alike.
A mother may buy an entire bolt of cloth and
make shirts for her husband and all the boys,
and then dresses for herself and her daughters,
all cut from the same bolt of fabric.
Amish and Mennonite girlfriends will buy
a bolt of fabric together and make the same
dress so that they’re seen as a group, instead
of standing out as individuals. This tendency
to dress similarly extends to each community
and is something one can see, for those with a
detailed eye.
Many of the customs and manner of dress
are taken from the Bible. They are encouraged
to never cut their hair, as the Bible says that
a woman’s hair is her crown of glory and, like
many other religions, the Amish believe that
their heads should be covered.
Most of us have heard some of the rules of
the Amish, from no zippers, buttons or snaps
on clothing to the fact that a woman’s garb
must come to her elbows and below her knees,
neutralizing the female form. There are some
welcome exceptions when you cross the Florida
state line. They wear very practical shoes and
black stockings, black hosiery in public except
when they’re in Florida. Then you get to wear
Crocs or fl ip fl ops or go barefoot. Many of
them go barefoot at home when they’re in the
garden.
Amish or Mennonite?
From Amish to Mennonite, plain or fancy, what
is the difference?
“First of all, the Mennonites can be very
conservative, or they can look like I do,” said
Kendra. “We worship in a Mennonite church
in Florida when we’re there, so Mennonites
don’t all look the same. There are many
denominations from very conservative to very
liberal, both in theology and attire.”
As Kendra explained, the Amish are
an offspring of the Mennonites, just like
Protestantism is an offspring of Catholicism. The
Amish and Mennonite are like cousins. “We can
cohabitate and there’s no animosity,” she said.
“So, if you speak Dutch or German, you are
Amish. If you don’t, then you’re English. If you’re
not Amish, you’re English. It doesn’t matter if
you live in Ireland or Brazil or New York City,
you’re still English.”
Kendra explained that it’s much easier to
accept someone when you realize what their
differences are all about.
“The point of my doing these tours is that
you don’t have to agree, but it’s critical that you
understand the ‘why’ of it,” Kendra said. “When
you understand why, it’s not quite so odd
anymore. As you visit, you will fi nd that we are
so much more alike than we are unalike.”
One doesn’t have to look too far to see the
signs that our society has been facing a crisis for
many years. Many experts attribute this societal
decline to the erosion of the nuclear family.
While many of the Amish customs are biblical
and theologically based, much of it comes
down to preserving the family unit.
Why do they not have cars? Kendra explained
it’s because the critical nature of the nuclear
family is one of their core beliefs.
“Our boys are grown men now, but if they say,
‘Hey mom, I’ve got to run into town,’ they jump
in the car and come home three hours later,”
she said. “Well, if there’s something you need
on the farm you’ve got to get the horse, you’ve
got to groom the horse, you’ve got to bridle
the horse, harness the horse, then you have to
back her into the buggy. And then you can’t go
farther than 10 miles because a horse can only
go 20 miles in a day. So, you have to be serious
about leaving the farm and you don’t run out
for just anything. The Amish do go to town, and
often go as a family unit. “That’s why they don’t
have cars. It’s not because they don’t believe
in cars. It’s that cars can destroy the unity of the
family. The horse and buggies keep you humble
and keep you close to nature, slowing down the
pace of life.”
Go to any restaurant today and most people
are sitting with their family or friends, no eye
contact, looking at their phones. “There’s no
interaction,” Kendra said. “What I love about this
culture, and I still call it ours because my roots
are very deep, is the interaction.”