Amish lifestyle is dictated by the
Ordnung (German, meaning: order), which differs slightly from community to community, and, within a community, from district to district. What is acceptable in one community may not be acceptable in another. Groups may separate over matters such as the width of a
hat brim, the
color of buggies, or various other issues. The use of
tobacco and alcohol is accepted within some groups, but other groups have taken a stand against them.
Language Most Old Order Amish speak a distinctive
German dialect called
Pennsylvania German or, much more commonly, Pennsylvania Dutch. Pennsylvania German is related to the
Palatinate German of the 18th century, but has been strongly influenced by
American English. The English term "Dutch" originally referred to all forms of German and Netherlandic languages. Pennsylvania German, which is a
High German dialect, is distinct from
Mennonite Low German and
Hutterite German dialects spoken by other Anabaptist groups. Now spoken primarily by the Old Order Amish and
Old Order Mennonites, Pennsylvania German was originally spoken by many
German-American immigrants in Pennsylvania and surrounding areas, especially those who came prior to 1800. There are also several sizable Old Order Amish communities where a variety of
Swiss German is spoken, rather than Pennsylvania German. The
Beachy Amish, especially those who were born after 1960, tend to speak in English at home. All other Amish groups use either Pennsylvania German or a variety of Swiss German as their in-group language of discourse. Small dialectal variations exist between communities, such as Lancaster County and Indiana speech varieties. The Amish are aware of regional variation, and occasionally experience difficulty in understanding speakers from outside their own area.
Clothing The common theme among all Amish clothing is plainness; clothing should not call attention to the wearer by cut, color, or any other feature.
Hook-and-eye closures or
straight pins are used as fasteners on dress clothing rather than buttons, zippers, or
velcro.
Snaps are used on everyday clothes, and plain
buttons for work shirts and trousers. The historic restriction on buttons is attributed to tradition and their potential for ostentation. Some groups tend to limit color to black (trousers, dresses) and white (shirts), while others allow muted colors. Dark blue denim work clothing is common within some groups as well. Amish often sew their own clothing. Women wear
cape dresses, calf-length plain-cut dresses in a solid color. Aprons are often worn at home, usually, in white (typically for the unmarried) or purple or black (for the married), and are always worn when attending church. A cape, which consists of a triangular piece of cloth, is usually worn, beginning around the teenage years, and pinned into the apron. In the colder months, a long woolen cloak may be worn. Heavy bonnets are worn over the prayer coverings (known as the
kapp) when Amish women are out and about in cold weather, with the exception of the Nebraska Amish, who do not wear bonnets. Girls in some areas may wear colored bonnets until age nine; older girls and women wear black bonnets. Girls begin wearing a cape for church and dress-up occasions at about age eight. Single women wear a white cape to church until about the age of thirty. Everyday capes are colored, matching the dress, until about age forty when only black is used. Men typically wear dark-colored trousers, some with a dark vest or coat,
suspenders (in some communities), broad-brimmed
straw hats in the warmer months, and black felt hats in the colder months. Some teenagers, may deviate from these customs to convey individuality. Married men and those over forty grow a
beard, although Swartzentruber Amish young men usually never shave, except for the mustache, which is not permitted in most Amish churches because of tradition. In some Old Order Amish settings, a beard may serve the same symbolic function as a wedding ring, marking the status as a married man.
Furniture Amish furniture is furniture marketed as being made by the
Amish, primarily of
Pennsylvania,
Ohio, and
Indiana. It is generally known as being made of 100% wood, usually without particle board or laminate.
Amish furniture making is often a skill passed through many generations. Because Amish beliefs prevent the use of
electricity, many woodworking tools in Amish shops are powered by hydraulic and pneumatic power that is run on diesel generators. No piece of furniture is ever identical to another because of the care taken to select the wood. The grain is different on every piece of wood, and the craftsmen often try to highlight the features of each individual piece.
Education in 1941 The
Amish do not educate their children past the eighth grade, believing that the basic knowledge offered up to that point is sufficient to prepare one for the Amish lifestyle. Almost no Amish go to
high school, much less to
college. In many communities, the Amish operate their own schools, which are typically
one-room schoolhouses with teachers (young unmarried or married men and women) from the Amish community. In Indiana, most children will go to public schools from kindergarten to eighth grade. These schools provide education in many crafts, and are therefore eligible as vocational education, fulfilling the nationwide requirement of education through the 10th grade or its equivalent. There are Amish children who go to non-Amish public schools, even schools that are far away and that include a very small Amish population. For instance, there have been some Amish children who have attended Leesburg Elementary School in
Leesburg, Indiana (about from
Nappanee, Indiana), because their families lived on the edge of the school district. In the past, there have been major conflicts between the Amish and outsiders over these matters of local schooling; for the most part, they have been resolved, and the educational authorities allow the Amish to educate their children in their own ways. Sometimes, there are conflicts between the state-mandated minimum age for discontinuing schooling, and the younger age of children who have completed the eighth grade. The Amish claim that educating their children beyond eighth grade is a violation of their religious beliefs, and so, have been granted exemptions of this mandate. In the past, in comparisons of standardized test scores of Amish students, the Amish have performed above the national average for rural public school pupils in spelling, word usage, and arithmetic. They performed below the national average in vocabulary. On May 19, 1972, Jonas Yoder and Wallace Miller of the Old Order Amish, and Adin Yutzy of the Conservative Amish Mennonite Church, were each fined $5 for refusing to send their children, aged 14 and 15, to high school. In
Wisconsin v. Yoder, the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned the conviction, and the
U.S. Supreme Court affirmed this, finding the benefits of universal education do not justify a violation of the
Free Exercise Clause of the
First Amendment.
Music Amish music is primarily
German in origin, including ancient singing styles not found anywhere in
Europe. Sacred music originates from modern hymns derived from the
Pennsylvania Dutch culture. Singing is a major part of Amish churches and some songs take over fifteen minutes to sing. "Lob Lied" is a well-known Amish song. It is always the second song sung at an Amish church service and is often sung at Amish weddings. Older Amish hymns are
monophonic, without meter, and feature drawn-out tones with slowly articulated ornamentation. Pennsylvania spirituals are more contemporary and include a wide variety of influences. Although a few Amish learn to play traditional instruments such as the
harmonica or the
accordion, instruments are not played in public. Thus, singing is usually
unaccompanied. "Sings" or "Singings" are attended by young people approaching marriage-age. They are usually held in barns on a Sunday evening after a worship service and are an essential element in Amish courting practices as the young participants are encouraged to engage in social discourse between songs. While singing in church is in German, singing outside of the church is more often in English than in Pennsylvania German, even though the Amish know many traditional worldly Pennsylvania German songs. The most popular performer of worldly Pennsylvania German songs is
John Schmid, who is also very popular among the Amish.
Transport Amish people are more likely to die in traffic accidents when motor vehicles collide with the slower horse-drawn
Amish buggies. In Pennsylvania between 2003 and 2013, over 600 buggy accidents took place. Levi Shetler, of the conservative Swartzentruber Amish, was reported to have been involved in fourteen crashes by the age of 54, with one fatality. The usual crash is during daylight on straight roadways with no adverse weather conditions, with a cause of "following too closely", resulting in a rear-end crash to the buggy. ==Use of modern technology==