What Do the Amish Do for Fun? | The Amish Village (2024)

FAQs

What Do the Amish Do for Fun? | The Amish Village? ›

Gardening, hunting, and fishing are all doubly enjoyable pastimes for Amish men, women, and children as they not only provide food for their families, but they also allow for a deepening connection with nature and with the God who they believe is present in it.

They enjoy board games, such as Scrabble, Life on the Farm, and Monopoly or card games, like Uno. However, there is never any gambling involved! Sports games are also enjoyed by all ages, but they are not played competitively. Amish do not support the idea of competition and pride, but rather community and teamwork.

Bearing children, raising them, and socializing with neighbors and relatives are the greatest functions of the Amish family. Amish typically believe that large families are a blessing from God. Farm families tend to be larger, because sons are needed to perform farm labor. Community is central to the Amish way of life.

The tract that contains the most Amish is far from uniform, however. The distribution shows a significant number of families with incomes below $49,000. Twenty three percent of households living in this Census Tract have average incomes of about $42,000. More fascinating is the emergent mode at $75,000.

There's no rule against friendships between Amish and non-Amish people. The Amish love meeting other people and conversing about life. But always respect their devout laws and views on modern living, which will almost certainly differ from yours. You don't have to have the same beliefs to befriend an Amish person.

In summer, conservative Amish tend to bathe at least twice weekly to eliminate dirt and sweat. The women may bathe more frequently and keep the home clean as well. New Order Amish may bathe more frequently than the Swatzentruber order, taking advantage of running water for showers or baths.

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.

Each person sleeps on their side of the bed, with a board in between them to prevent any physical contact. The couple is allowed to talk to each other during the night, but they're not allowed to touch each other.

Earning renown as skilled entrepreneurs, the Amish generate income from a diverse array of businesses, ranging from carpentry and construction to retail shops and restaurants. While the Amish are most well-known for farming, community members also provide a variety of services including lodgings and furniture-making.

New Order Amish prohibit alcohol and tobacco use (seen in some Old Order groups), an important factor in the original division. Different from the Old Order, the New Order actively suppress the use of tobacco and alcohol and do not allow bed courtship (bundling), which was an important factor in the original division.

Do Amish people have social security numbers? ›

While the Amish are governed by the law, they don't want to have social security numbers. However, they do get one when they join the church as an adult. Because the Amish come from the Anabaptist tradition, they believe that you should be baptized as an adult when you're fully able to consent.

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.

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.

The Amish have a lot of recreational hobbies that most Americans would view as “work”, such as quilting and canning, which are often sold for additional family income. In fact, many Amish girls truly love the time spent quilting with their moms and grandmothers since it is a sanctioned channel for creativity.

Generally speaking, no, Amish people do not tend to date or marry outsiders. If they do, they may be shunned by their community. Although nothing is stopping them from marrying whomever they want, they prefer to stick within their communities. People also often ask “are Amish marriages arranged?” No.

The word literally translates to “running around” in Pennsylvania Dutch. Teens are encouraged to explore what's beyond the community and engage in worldly activities. During this period, Amish teens travel, wear everyday clothing, use modern technology and even drink and party with worldly people.

Most Amish children are very self-sufficient and can entertain themselves. Since Amish children are raised to look after one another, siblings easily find ways to have fun together, such as fishing, non-competitive sports, riding scooters, climbing trees, or playing at an adjacent family's farm.

Earning renown as skilled entrepreneurs, the Amish generate income from a diverse array of businesses, ranging from carpentry and construction to retail shops and restaurants. While the Amish are most well-known for farming, community members also provide a variety of services including lodgings and furniture-making.