Recent Posts

The 10 Largest Amish Communities


The 10 Largest Amish Communities

So we’re counting down the top 10 largest Amish communities today.

The 10th largest Amish community is in Allen County, Indiana.

There are approximately 3500 Amish living in Allen County, and 19 church districts. The Amish first came to Allen County in 1852. There is not a lot of Amish farming in the county and most of the Amish are employed in the construction trades.

The Allen County Amish have a higher standard of living than most communities and many live in brick homes. People love to build homes with brick here for some reason it’s really popular, so it gives the homes kind of a really distinct look that’s quite different from Amish in other communities.

The ninth largest Amish community is in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.

The Byler Amish have distinctive yellow-top buggies.

Have you ever seen a yellow buggy before? Now, if that sounds crazy, Well, if you go to Mifflin County, you, you’ll see yellow buggies and you actually see buggies in a couple of other colors too, black and also white. This community is in a large valley where the Amish are. The official name is Kishacoquillas Valley, but people call it Big Valley, just for short.

The Nebraska Amish have white-topped buggies.

The Amish first came to Big Valley in 1791 from Lancaster, Pa. There are three groups called the Nebraska Amish, the Byler Amish, and the Renno Amish in the valley.

The Byler Amish have the yellow-top buggies. The Nebraska, named after their first bishop that came from Nebraska, have white-topped Buggies. The Renno or Peachy Amish have black-top buggies.

The Big Valley also has Mennonite groups and Amish-Mennonite groups like the Beachy which have automobiles and electricity, but have maintained a lot of their Amish traditions.

The eighth largest Amish settlement, Arthur Illinois.

Arthur, Illinois Amish

This is a very nice community, with very flat land, and lots of corn. It is the largest settlement in Illinois. And number eight on the list. There are about 4500 Amish in Arthur.

When in Arthur, be sure to visit Yoder’s Kitchen. It is a wonderful Amish restaurant.

You will also want to visit Green Meadow Farm. It is an Amish goat farm and offers buggy rides, behind-the-scenes tours, and goat dairy products. The Shady Crest Farm market has hand-dipped ice cream, homemade fudge, meat, cheese, baked goods, and more.

The seventh largest community is Davis County, Indiana.

Davis County Amish

The Amish here are quite friendly and they speak with the southern accent here, and it’s very kind of disarming or unusual if you’re used to Amish from like Lancaster County and that very specific accent.

There are about 1400 old Order Amish in Davis County. They first came to Davis County in 1971.

There are over 90 Amish-owned businesses in Davis County. There are only about a dozen families making their full-time living from farming. The Amish discovered the land in Davis County is not very fertile, so they moved to businesses. You can check out their business directory HERE.

The sixth largest community is Nappanee, Indiana.

Nappanee, Indiana

And if you’ve ever heard of Amish Acres, this community is known for that tourist attraction that was recently sold and taken over by some new ownership.

Nappanee has about 6500 Amish and 46 church districts. Many of the Amish here work RV factories in the area.

Coppes Commons was once the center of industrial life in Nappanee. In the 19th century, this complex turned out the finest kitchen cabinets around. Now it is the center of commerce for shopkeepers selling everything from quilts and Amish souvenirs at Country Home Shoppe, to Rocket Science ice cream. Just watching them concoct your creation will be a story you’ll relive when you get back home.

The fifth largest community is Adams County, Indiana.

Ope-top buggy

There are about 8595 Amish in Adams County. This is another of the Swiss Amish communities. The first on this list, Allen County also belongs to this group. So the Swiss Amish are known for specific customs that are unique to them in this community. They only drive the open buggies, so you’re not gonna see the closed-top buggies in almost all the groups. There’s maybe a little bit of an exception there, but that’s the standard for the Swiss Amish. They speak a German dialect to Swiss-based German dialect that’s different from the majority of the Amish. They also have the practice of yodeling, in this community. So pretty unique and unusual compared to the other Amish communities.

The fourth largest Amish community is Geauga County, Ohio.

There are 19,240 Amish in Geauga County. Geauga has two different kinds of main groups there. One that’s more progressive and the other one that’s more conservative and traditional. You’ll see in this community lots of ice boxes or ice vending machines throughout the community because Amish sure rely on ice refrigeration. So that’s something different from a lot of the Amish who would use a gas or a liquid propane refrigerator.

Rothenbuhler Cheese Chalet
15815 Nauvoo Rd., Middlefield
Manufacturer of Award-winning Swiss cheese. The retail store offers deli items, various kinds of cheese, and gourmet items.

The third largest Amish community is LaGrange County and Shipshewana, Indiana.

Amish here have flashers on their buggies.

Now we’re getting into what you might think of as the big three Amish settlements. There are roughly 26,000 Amish in LaGrange County.

Many of the Amish work in RV factories, which a lot of people find unusual. It’s kind of funny to think of Amish building RVs, but it’s a very popular occupation for Amish here. Elkhart, LaGrange County is considered a pretty progressive Amish community. One interesting thing, the buggies here, I think these are some of the brightest buggies I’ve ever seen in my life. They’re very well lit up at night. Now, not all of them, but you know, strobe lights and flashers, and they take that aspect of road safety very seriously.

Finally, the second largest Amish community is Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Lancaster County has the second largest Amish community. It’s the most visited Amish community, probably the best-known Amish community, and the oldest Amish community. There are about 33,000 Amish in Lancaster County. There are over 25 different Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren church groups in Lancaster County, 

The Amish here drive gray top buggies.

You’ll know Lancaster Amish often by their last names cuz they’re very specific last names that are common to Lancaster County, like STTs Fuss, which would be the most common name lab. Zuck King, Real Fisher. Those are names you either see here generally or if you’re in another area. It’s a community that’s come from Lancaster Counties. So if you’re like in Indiana, there’s a couple communities that came from Lancaster, so you’ll see those last names there and that’s a definite clue that they are connected with, with Lancaster.

Beautiful area, picture, perfect farms, very historic area, and very popular as I mentioned, to visit Lancaster County. Also home to the mud sales, which happen in the, starting in the spring every year, where the volunteer fire companies where a lot of Amish actually volunteer have consignment benefit sales, which generate a lot of the, the money that is used to fund them through the year. A lot of people attend Amish and English and they’re called mud sales, not because they sell mud, but because in the spring the fields tend to be quite muddy. So that’s where they got their name. So there you have it, the largest Amish communities.

The largest Amish community is Holmes County, Ohio, and that also includes neighboring counties, Wayne County, Tuscarawas County, Coshocton County, and part of Stark County.

Ohio’s largest settlement is centered around Holmes County. There are 37,770 children and adults, the second largest in the world and the highest concentration of Amish in any US county; the Amish make up half the population of Holmes County.

And this is one of the most diverse, or arguably the most diverse Amish settlement. You’ve got everything from the kind of most quote-unquote progressive Amish, the New Order Amish that use tractors in the field all the way to the very conservative Schwartzentruber Amish who don’t have plumbing in the home. They don’t use the orange SMB safety triangle and have a very plain lifestyle compared to many of the others in the community.

This is my favorite Amish settlement to visit. It’s a beautiful area, and there are lots of little nice small towns in the area. Quite rural. About half the population is Amish. And of course, there are the very many different Amish groups that make it a very interesting place.

Who Are the Schwartzentruber Amish?


Who Are the Schwartzentruber Amish?
Who are the Schwartzentruber Amish

Those who are familiar with Amish people will know that the Schwartzentruber Amish are a unique group. They are characterized by their religion and lifestyle. They live by a strict code of conduct and their food and culture are very different from other Amish communities.

Their religion

Known for their conservative nature, Swartzentruber Amish live in over a dozen states. They are one of the more traditional Amish communities and have been known to be criticized by more progressive groups.

Swartzentrubers are known for their strict religious practices and their low standard of living. They do not advertise wares, use indoor plumbing or have cars. Instead, they rely on a horse-drawn buggy and hand-pushed mowers. They also do not have tractors or refrigerators. Their women wear dark dresses and high-top shoes.

While Swartzentrubers have a strong religious tradition, they have also been known to interact with other Amish. They often sell handmade baskets and fresh produce. However, they do not participate in local chambers of commerce.

Although they may have a stricter interpretation of the Bible, they still follow the traditions and admonishments of the Church. They also do not swear oaths, or wear clothing made of metal. They also believe that marriages within the community are Biblical. They do not permit marriages outside of the faith.

Who Are the Schwartzentruber Amish?

Swartzentrubers also have a strict rule on how to handle money. They do not have credit cards or battery calculators. Instead, they maintain a small bookkeeping system on a tablet. They are not allowed to use cell phones, and do not join local chambers of commerce.

They have a strict set of rules called Ordnung that covers everything from the way they dress to the way they behave. Members who break the rules are subject to excommunication. This is usually followed by shunning, a form of social avoidance of an individual. Shunning is only lifted with the appropriate confession and forgiveness.

Swartzentruber Amish live in a community that focuses on farming and farming-related activities. They are not allowed to use cars, telephones, or indoor plumbing.

Their lifestyle

Among the Amish, the Swartzentruber Amish are the most resolutely conservative. Their motto is to remain “plain and simple.” Unlike most Amish groups, the Swartzentrubers resist change more fervently.

They keep to themselves and do not talk about love. They are known for their simple lifestyle, carpentry work, and canned foods. Most families are small, with an average of five children. Their farms are relatively small. They prefer to live off the land, but they also send their children to an Old Order Amish school in less populated areas.

There are 65 settlements in 12 states. The Amish name comes from two early bishops with the surname Swartzentruber. They have fought state laws requiring reflective triangles on buggies. They also refuse to adopt daylight savings time. They use old-fashioned hand pumps for water.

Schwartzentruber Amish

They also use metal milk cans rather than modern cooling systems. They take baths at least once a week. They take care of their horses every day. They have a strong work ethic. They do odd jobs for cash. They usually live in small houses.

Their religious books are written in German. They wear plain black dresses and bonnets, and have a square-cut hairstyle. Their hat brims are extra-large. They also have a well-trimmed beard.

They are known for their work ethic, but the Swartzentrubers also have a strong desire for equality. They discourage making too much money, and loan money to other Swartzentrubers.

They live modestly and travel often to family clinics. They also travel to special clinics for the blind. They don’t have a phone. They only use cars for emergencies.

The Amish are a traditionalist Christian community, with a devotion to biblical lifestyles. They are also a religious sect with few freedoms.

Their politics

Among the Old Order Amish, the Swartzentruber Amish are the most conservative subgroup. They are not very active in the community, but do have their own distinctive ways of doing things. They tend to have a smaller standard of living than the more progressive Amish, but also may be less likely to use health care services.

They also have a more traditional lifestyle. They do not own automobiles, do not ride buses, and do not travel by plane. Instead, they travel by train. They are very conservative and do not fellowship with the more liberal Old Order Amish. They are also very hesitant to deal with non-Amish people directly.

Swartzentruber Amish were formed after a conflict over social shunning. Some Anabaptists were against the idea of shunning. They thought that excommunicated Amish should be shunned. They also wanted to have footwashing rituals. But Jakob Ammann, a Swiss bishop and an elder in the Swiss Brethren Mennonite church, advocated a very strong view on shunning. He wanted to make a distinction between the wayward and the wayward. He also pushed for stricter dress regulations.

Schwartzentruber Amish

Although Swartzentruber Amish do not have large flower beds or manicured landscaping, they still follow religious traditions. Their church services are often longer. They also sing slower. They also have a traditional bean soup served in a common bowl. The Amish believe that the Church was formed to be a witness to the world, not just for themselves.

In Wisconsin, Swartzentruber Amish have a difficult relationship with the state government. They have been accused of failing to register their livestock. They have also had disagreements with county officials over building codes. The Amish have also been exempt from workers compensation.

Their food

Among the fastest growing Amish settlements in New York are the Swartzentruber. These Amish are a traditional sect of the religion. They have their own rules and traditions, and differ from the more progressive interpretations of the religion.

The Amish have been known to collect and use discarded food. This includes beef cow meat, canned foods, and even pig skin. In addition, they have been experimenting with home remedies and supplements. In a recent study, the Amish were found to save up to $7500 per farm by reducing feed costs by switching to rotational grazing.

The Amish also use well-testing, water monitoring, and demonstration plots to educate farmers. Their goal is to maximize resources.

The Ohio State University Extension (OSUE) has worked to increase the Amish’s awareness of food safety issues. Through newsletters, educational meetings, and demonstration plots, they taught 240 Amish families about food safety and nutrition in three communities.

The Family Nutrition Program is a nutrition curriculum that teaches basic nutrition, food safety, and food resource management. The program uses manure and soil testing, well-testing, and demonstration plots. The newsletters feature a special question of the week, a cooking recipe, a word puzzle, and a coloring page.

The Ohio State University Extension has also worked to engage the Amish on water quality issues. Through educational meetings, demonstration plots, and newsletters, they have worked to increase the Amish’s awareness on water quality issues.

The Swartzentruber Amish were met with skepticism in the beginning. Their bulk farmland was coveted by corn growers. However, the Swartzentruber were able to regain their lost ground by building a cheese factory.

In addition to the cheese factory, the Swartzentruber Amish also built a general store. This allowed them to preserve more of their harvest.

Schwartzentruber Amish

Their churches

Among the Old Order Amish, the Swartzentruber Amish are the most conservative. These Amish communities have a reputation for shunning members who join another group. But they do not have the same level of schism as other groups.

The Swartzentruber Amish were formed in 1917 after a group of Holmes County Ohio Amish split in the early 1900’s. The Swartzentruber Amish are located in Holmes County and Wayne County, Ohio. These Amish communities are very different from the modern interpretations of the religion. The Amish are Protestant Christians. They believe in a Holy Trinity and the necessity of being born again. They are also known for their high work ethic.

The Swartzentruber Amish live an 1800’s lifestyle. They do not have electricity or indoor plumbing, and they do not have cars. They also do not have telephone booths, Velcro, or mirrors. Their buggies are also a lot simpler to spot at night. They often have tin roofs, and their buggies do not have a front seat.

Unlike the New Order Amish, Swartzentruber Amish do not have Sunday School for children. They are also not allowed to marry members of other groups. If a Swartzentruber Amish member decides to go outside their fellowship, they are excommunicated. However, some Old Order Amish churches are less conservative, and they may still have a chance to fellowship with excommunicated people.

Swartzentruber Amish are the largest subgroup of the Old Order Amish. They are located in 15 states. Compared to the Nebraska Amish, they are more common.

Swartzentruber Amish are known for their conservative religious beliefs and lifestyle. They are known for their stricter technology laws, and they are not permitted to have tractors.

What Are The Best Amish Restaurants?


Amish restaurants

The Best Amish Restaurants

Best Amish Restaurants

Whether you’re planning a trip to the Amish country or simply want to get a taste of what the Amish are famous for, here are some of the best Amish restaurants to visit. These restaurants are run by Amish families and feature the finest, most authentic foods available in the area.

Katie’s Kitchen

Located in the heart of Amish country, Katie’s Kitchen is a quaint establishment with a small but devoted following. Owner Katie King has been in the restaurant business for well over a decade and has a knack for whipping up a good meal with a minimum of fuss and fanfare. Among the restaurant’s many amenities is a quaint little shop whose products are a cut above the rest. This restaurant is located on the outskirts of town and offers a nice respite from the rat race. Ronks, PA id home to Katie’s Kitchen.

The restaurant is a favorite amongst the young and the young at heart. For lunch and dinner, the restaurant boasts a smorgasbord of a menu. As for drinks, there are more than a few local craft breweries to choose from. The restaurant even has an on-site beer lab to help keep the sanity factor at bay. Despite its diminutive size, Katie’s Kitchen can accommodate large corporate lunches with aplomb.

The restaurant also has a well-stocked bar to boot. The most enjoyable part of this quaint establishment is its devoted staff and its warm fuzzies. Amongst the numerous locals, there is one in particular who happens to be a seasoned beer hound.

Heini’s Cheese Chalet

Among the many Amish restaurants in Ohio, Heini’s Cheese Chalet is one of the most popular. It is also one of the best cheese shops in the state. Here you can find a variety of cheeses, including smoked meats and jams. The store also sells a variety of local products.

‘s Cheese Chalet restaurantHeini

The cheese store is a family-friendly destination. You can get a tour of the factory, or simply come in for a cheese tasting. The store offers a wide variety of cheeses, including European and American varieties. You can also buy packaged candies, chocolates, and gifts. You can even try old-time soda pop, such as Frosty Rootbeer.

In addition to cheese, Heini’s offers smoked meats, jams, and bulk candies. You can also purchase a variety of jerky and local honey. The store also sells a wide variety of dessert cheeses. The cheese is made from local dairy farmers’ milk, which means no artificial growth hormones or additives.

The store also sells a variety of other Amish products. It also has a cafe. You can also sample some of their cheeses for free. The cheese making process is shown through observation windows.

You can also try some of their breads and pies. They have a great selection of breads, including breads with jalapenos. Their brownies and cookies are also a great choice.

Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen

Founded in 1994 by Gloria Yoder, Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen is an Amish restaurant that serves time-tested classics as well as creative new dishes. This cozy restaurant has been a staple in the Mount Hope, Ohio community for over twenty years. It is located across the street from the Mt. Hope Livestock Auction and has plenty of parking for cars and buses.

The restaurant offers an all-you-can-eat buffet, including an assortment of pasta salads, macaroni salad, potato salad and two varieties of coleslaw. It also has a well-stocked salad bar. Its mashed potatoes are hand-made and have real whipped cream.

Another popular item is roast beef. It is prepared according to the recipe of Yoder’s grandmother and is served with mashed potatoes.

A sampler plate includes a tossed salad, a choice of two types of meat and gravy. It is an Amish invention that echoes a traditional potluck.

In addition to its great salad bar, the restaurant has a variety of other dishes. They offer a leg of lamb in the fall and dandelion gravy in the early spring. They also serve pan-fried domestic rabbit. There are also many types of pies.

For dessert, they have several sundaes. They also offer an old-fashioned cracker pudding.

1899 Olde Mill Restaurant

Located in Intercourse, Pennsylvania, the 1899 Olde Mill Restaurant is a Mennonite restaurant that serves homemade American and PA Dutch food. This restaurant is the perfect place to have dinner with the family. This establishment is known for its friendly servers and reasonable prices. The restaurant offers a 10% discount on your meal when you show your coupon.

The best part about this restaurant is the fact that you can find an all-you-can-eat buffet. This is a great way to try out new dishes without having to pay full price. The buffet is open seven days a week, and you’ll find everything from hot dogs and macaroni and cheese to homemade burgers and sandwiches.

The 1899 Olde Mill Restaurant also has a large wine list and a full bar. In addition, they have a large beer menu that boasts a whopping fifty beers. This place is also known for its cleanliness, and they’re the cleanest bar in the Mid-Ohio Valley. They also offer karaoke, live music, and Swamp Juice.

Another good Amish restaurant to try is the Shady Maple Buffet, which offers a 200 foot buffet. They also have a large wine list, karaoke, and live music.

Troyer’s Country Market

Among the best Amish restaurants, Troyer’s Country Market is a family-run grocery distributor, restaurant, and bakery. The business was started by Jonas Troyer in 1961. In addition to a full menu, Troyer’s Country Market offers seasonal fruits and vegetables, bulk foods, and Amish wedding foods. Its deli is packed with the finest meats and cheeses.

The bakery at Troyer’s Country Market produces any number of baked goods. Customers have raved about Troyer’s donuts. The bakery has an attached country store where you can buy cheese curds and other foods. It also sells beef jerky, spelt bread, and veggie chips.

Troyer’s Country Market is located in Salisbury, NC. It is open from Monday through Saturday. The store also sells a variety of pantry staples such as candies, jellies, and jams. It offers 100 varieties of jams. The deli features award-winning deli meats and cheeses. It is known for its excellent customer service.

Troyer’s Country Market is open every Thursday from May 26 until September 29 in 2022. It is also open Friday and Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm. This is a great way to stock up on groceries for the coming season.

Troyer’s Country Market is also a great place to pick up local snacks. The store offers a wide variety of seasonal produce, including strawberries from the Carolinas and juicy peaches. You can also try their unique sauces and sandwiches.

Ashery Country Store

Located in the heart of Amish country, Ashery Country Store is a good place to pick up quality products at reasonable prices. Whether you are looking for a snack or a full meal, Ashery Country Store is the place to go.

In addition to their food selection, Ashery offers a lot more. For example, they have hundreds of different herbs, homeopathic remedies and home made snacks. And if you’re hungry, they also serve a full meal buffet. You can also check out their home made candy and pastas.

The Ashery Country Store is a great place to find unique and useful souvenirs. You can purchase a lot of things made by the locals, including handcrafted items made in Holmes County. You can also purchase a Bucket of Food which you can feed to the animals.

You can also take a horse and buggy ride around the property, or check out some of the animals. They also have a museum, which features some period pieces. They also have an interesting movie theater called the Buggy Barn.

The Ashery Country Store also has a gift shop where you can find a lot of interesting souvenirs. You can find books, cookbooks and other items.

Manheim

Located in Lancaster County, Hometown Kitchen offers traditional Amish cuisine in a family-friendly setting. The menu features an extensive variety of Pennsylvania Dutch dishes and includes a wide selection of daily specials. Hometown Kitchen also offers a traditional Amish wedding meal every Friday.

Hometown Kitchen also features a bakery that offers delicious Amish treats.

Katie’s Kitchen is another Lancaster County restaurant that is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its menu includes homemade burgers, a wide variety of home-style side dishes, and homemade desserts. The restaurant also features a playground area and is known for its full-grown willow trees.

Another popular restaurant is Hershey Farm, which is located next to the Sight and Sound Theater. The restaurant offers a variety of Amish-style cuisine, including smorgasbords. The menu features a variety of traditional Amish dishes, such as Dutch apple dumplings and cured meats. They also offer a gourmet potato bar and a dessert bar. The gift shop offers a variety of Amish-made goods and can ship items. Located in Hershey, the restaurant is also home to a bakery that sells baked goods and Amish sour cream.

Hershey Farm

Amish Holidays And Customs


Amish Christmas

Where Are the Amish in Pennsylvania?

Where are the Amish in Pennsylvania

Depending on which region of Pennsylvania you are interested in, there are different places where you can go to see Amish culture and traditions. Some of these areas have been designated as Amish heritage towns, while others offer guided tours of an Amish schoolhouse or homestead. There are also some Amish-run museums in Pennsylvania. These offer guided tours of an 1840s Amish barn or homestead, and may contain historical artifacts and memorabilia.

Do the Amish celebrate the same holidays as non-Amish?

Whether or not the Amish celebrate the same holidays as non-Amish is a subject of debate. Although some Amish communities do celebrate minor secular holidays, most do not. They instead take the holidays directly from the Bible.

The Amish celebrate the holidays in a way that is reflected by their faith. The focus is on families and individual people. They do not celebrate saints or heroic cultural figures. They do not believe in miracles or in public proof of divine intervention. They also do not endorse military service.

Christmas is an important holiday for the Amish. They celebrate it twice, on December 25 and on January 6. The focus is on family, giving gifts and enjoying a meal together. They also sing Christmas carols and put on skits. They usually have a church service on Christmas Day. They also exchange Christmas cards with their English friends.

The Amish do not celebrate Halloween. They do not celebrate the Fourth of July, either. They do not observe Memorial Day or Veterans’ Day.

Easter is another important holiday for the Amish. They do not have special church services on Easter. They spend the day in prayer and reading scripture. They also celebrate Ascension Day, which marks the day when Christ defeated Satan. It is also the day the Holy Spirit fell on the apostles.

In some communities, the Amish don’t exchange gifts on Christmas. They may instead exchange special Amish candies. Some Amish families don’t even carve pumpkins. They may decorate a tree or an egg with a pumpkin instead. They may also make special Amish cookies.

Pentecost is also a Christian holiday for the Amish. It is also the church’s birthday. They will observe this on a Sunday. They will cover the appropriate Scripture during the service closest to Easter.

Amish families typically have a large family and spend a lot of time together. The family gets together at the largest home available. Most Amish communities have a church service on Christmas. They may also have a church service on New Year’s Day. The service is usually brief and can be held in a few hours.

Thanksgiving

Having a holiday thrown in the mix is part of the Amish lifestyle, but there are some lesser-known Amish holiday celebrations that you should know about. While most Amish communities celebrate Christmas twice (and more), you may be surprised to find that a few of them also celebrate Easter.

One of the most interesting and fun Amish holidays is Pentecost, which is a day in which the apostles were received by the Holy Spirit. Not only is Pentecost a holy day, it is also the day in which the church officially embarks on its mission of evangelism. Some Amish communities celebrate it with a pork and sauerkraut feast.

The aforementioned Pentecost miracle also has a corresponding day, which the Amish call Pentecost Monday. This day is not as grand as Pentecost Sunday, but it is still a day in which the entire community comes together to share a meal. It is also the day in which the Amish celebrate the miracle of Christmas with their non-Amish families. The following week is a time of relative normalcy, which is something to be savored.

The best way to learn more about the many Amish holiday celebrations is to talk to your friends and neighbors. You may find out that your local Amish community has a more traditional holiday, such as Memorial Day, which is celebrated with a picnic in the park. You may also find out that they have an Amish New Year’s celebration with a pork and sauerkraut feast. Depending on the age of your children, they might get to color an Easter egg. Regardless of what your kids choose to do, you will no doubt be impressed with the Amish way of doing things.

The Amish have also adopted the Thanksgiving holiday as part of their annual celebrations. As an Amish girl myself, I can attest that their celebrations are indeed fun, and the food is fantastic. While you may not get to try their favorite Thanksgiving dishes, you can at least enjoy the tidbits of their cuisine by attending one of the many Thanksgiving dinner parties hosted by the Amish.

Ascension Day

Unlike the rest of the world, Amish communities celebrate Ascension Day, which is the day that Jesus ascended into heaven. It is one of the oldest Christian holidays and dates back to year 68 CE. However, different Christians celebrate it in different ways.

Many Amish communities use Ascension Day to reflect on their faith and their relationship with God. They celebrate this day by spending time with family and friends. They often take a day off from work. This gives them time to reflect on their faith and remind themselves of their beliefs. They may also partake in a church service, or take a break from their everyday activities to enjoy their faith.

The Amish are an Anabaptist group of Christians. They follow a strict set of rules known as Ordnung. These rules are passed on through oral traditions. The Ordnung regulates private and ceremonial behavior. They also maintain certain Christian holidays. Some of these include Pentecost, Ascension Day, and Second Christmas.

Although Ascension Day is not a public holiday, Amish families and communities usually celebrate it on the 39th day after Easter. Ascension Day is also one of the earliest Christian festivals. In premodern Christian Europe, it marked the beginning of the harvest season. Ascension Day was also used to mark parish boundaries.

Ascension Day is also celebrated in Eastern Orthodox churches. This day is marked by the processions that mark Christ’s ascension into heaven. The symbols used in Eastern Orthodox celebrations include a lion chasing a dragon, and Elijah’s fiery chariot. In some churches, Ascension Day is celebrated on Sunday, as well.

In the Amish community, the day is spent with family and friends. They often visit friends and relatives, and participate in a communal meal. Amish women wear aprons over their clothes, while Amish men wear dark coloured felt hats in the winter. They may also participate in a foot-washing ritual.

The Amish also have a tradition of having communion twice a year. Communion is usually held in the Amish’s homes, and is usually held after a light lunch. It is a very long service, and can last for several hours. It may also include a sermon or an ice cream social after the service.

Easter

Besides a nice dinner and plenty of visitors, the Pennsylvania Amish have a few other things going for them during the holiday season. One is baking Easter bread.

This is almost a lost art. In fact, it is not uncommon for Pennsylvania Dutch women to cover their eggs with calico.

The Easter egg is not just a holiday food, it is a cultural and religious symbol. For one thing, an egg is laid by a young chicken. The egg may be golden, red or purple, but the real trick is ensuring that the egg remains intact.

The Easter Egg Tree is a European tradition. It is an outdoor display of branches decorated with colored eggs. It is said to bring good luck to the house. Traditionally, they are carried by singing processions of children.

The binsa-graws egg is another Pennsylvania Dutch tradition. This type of egg is difficult to blow and is eaten by deer. These eggs are hard to find.

The Easter Egg Tree is also the best known of the trinkets of the Pennsylvania Dutch. This small tree was once hung in backyards with empty egg shells. It is believed that it wards off evil.

The Egg Bird is also a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition. These whimsical mobiles have paper decorations that fold to create a colorful display. They are also kept in houses throughout the summer. It is not uncommon to see this item in Amish households.

The best part about the Egg Bird is that it is not only a decoration for the home, it also serves as a mobile for the neighborhood. In fact, the egg-sized bird is kept in the house during the summer.

The other tidbit is that the Binsa-Graws Egg is an endangered species. This may be due to the fact that the pith of the egg is eaten by deer, but there is no evidence that it is extinct. It may be that the binsa-graws egg is a mere blip on the cultural radar.

The Egg Bird might be a trinket for Amish children and a novelty for others.

Amish Mock Turkey Recipe


The Amish have several mock recipes from mock turkey to mock apple pie to mock mashed potatoes. Many of these came out of the depression.

When times are tough. or when certain food items are not available, you make do with what you have.

The Amish have several mock recipes from mock turkey to mock apple pie to mock mashed potatoes. Many of these came out of the depression.

Amish Mock Turkey

Mock Turkey Ingredients

  • 2 pounds hamburger, brown in butter
  • 4 cups milk
  • 2 cans cream of chicken soup
  • 1 can cream of celery soup
  • 1 loaf of bread, broken
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together everything and pour into a 9 X 13 casserole dish.
  3. Bake for 1 hour at 350.

Need dessert? I found this tasty mock lemon pie recipe.

MOCK LEMON PIE (Vinegar pie)

  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 1 ¼ cups sugar
  • 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, blend the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, stirring vigorously with a fork. Add the vinegar, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk vigorously for 1 full minute, until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Pour into the unbaked pie crust. Bake until a butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean. About 45 minutes. The pie will be golden brown. 

Nine Distinct Amish Communities You May Not Have Heard Of


9 unusual amish communities

I’ve picked out nine Amish communities each with something about them that makes them distinct or unusual. The Amish are not a one size fits all group. And what I mean by that is that while Amish communities have certain things in common, like the horse and buggy, plain clothing, and Pennsylvania Dutch as a first language, there are often differences between communities. So I’m gonna run through these and give you briefly what makes each of these communities unusual.

Number one, Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

This is actually the second-oldest Amish community. It’s not a big community. It only has about a half dozen church districts. What makes Somerset County unusual? Now, most Amish, when they have church, they practice home worship. They don’t build separate church structures. They have church service, which is typically about a three-hour service. Every other Sunday, they’ll have that at a member’s home and that could be held in the basement.

Somerset County Amish

Amish homes tend to have large basements or in another space, in the actual home, or could be held in a workshop outside or even in a barn. That’s typical, for Amish. The Somerset County Amish are among the few that worship in meeting houses. So it’s a very plain structure, sort of resembles the Amish school, you know, has like a front porch. Generally Amish don’t build churches looking at other denominations who build really big and expensive churches. The Amish see that as unnecessary, maybe not practical, maybe not the best use of funds. A few communities developed this tradition of having meeting houses in Somerset County is one of them.

Number two, Adams County, Indiana.

The settlement around the town of Berne is a Swiss Amish community. Swiss Amish have different sort of cultural aspects or customs from kind of the majority of the Amish, which we might call the Pennsylvania Dutch Amish.

One example would of that be that the Amish at Adams County don’t use covered buggies. They only use the open-top buggies. So you need to have an umbrella if the weather looks like rain

Another custom that’s unusual in this particular Swiss Amish settlement community is the custom of yodeling. So this is an old Swiss tradition that the Amish have maintained in America. When do they yodel? One woman said that they tend to yodel whenever they feel it coming on, which may be when they’re working in the garden or doing the dishes. Chad Thompson, a professor of linguistics, pointed out that it tends to be done in groups in this Amish community rather than individually.

So it’s kind of more of a group practice, like a lot of things Amish, so not something you’re gonna see in most Amish communities.

Number three, Milverton Ontario.

So this is the oldest Canadian Amish community by far. It was founded way back in the 1820s, which actually makes it one of the oldest of all Amish settlements. And so this community has some very old traditions that it’s kept. This also includes the buggies without tops, which is similar to, to the Swiss Amish, although these are not Swiss Amish. They have an older style of dress and they’ve also got some specific last names that you generally won’t see in other places like Yancy or Cofer.

Number four, Dover, Delaware.

Why is Dover on this list? Well, I put it here because they have an unusual buggy style. They actually have kind of a rounded side buggy.

You can notice Amish that have moved from this Dover settlement because they’ve started a number of communities in other states and places, including Virginia, Kentucky, and New York. If you come across one of these communities in another state, you can kind of tell that it originated in Dover just by looking at a specific style of buggy.

Number five, Pine Craft, Florida.

Pine Craft Amish on tricycles
Pine Craft Amish on tricycles

Now, there are a lot of things that kind of make this community unusual, but just in the context of buggies, this is probably the only Amish settlement where the Amish here don’t use the horse and buggy. They get around by bicycles or tricycles. The reason is that this settlement is actually essentially located in the city of Sarasota.

This is not a community with farms and you know, big areas of green open land. This is basically a neighborhood of Sarasota. Not a lot of Amish live here year-round, but it gets a lot of vacationers who come from northern states like Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Pennsylvania to spend a week or several weeks here in the winter months.

And there are some people that live here year-round. There are some Amish retirees.

Number six, Pearisburg, Virginia.

This is a community tucked away in the mountains of Western Virginia. What makes this place unique? Well, it’s what you might call a seeker-friendly community, and that means that it is fairly open to outsiders who are interested in joining the Amish, or it has at least attracted outsiders over the years, and it’s pretty friendly in that sense.

When in Pearisburg, be sure to check out the Walker Valley Market
When in Pearisburg, be sure to check out the Walker Valley Market

And one particular aspect that’s quite unusual here is that for visitors, they have been known to provide a live interpretation of the Pennsylvania Dutch Language Service. That’s something that you don’t normally get when you go to attend an Amish church service. So it’s usually in German, or Pennsylvania Dutch. And I’ve heard occasional English thrown in, but 99 plus percent of it is not in English.

Number seven, Garnet, Kansas.

This might be one of the most surprising, if not the most surprising on this list, although number 10 is pretty surprising as well. But in this settlement, members of this community may actually drive cars for work purposes. Now, this is an Amish settlement. It’s one of the more progressive ones, as you might guess. But they don’t own the cars, and they don’t use the car for personal purposes, but they have an allowance there that members who need to drive the vehicles for their work purposes are able to do so.

Now, this exception has occurred in other places and is a very kind of rare exception. The most notable place would be the community of Arthur Illinois. Donald Kraybill and Steven Nolt, discussed this in their book Amish Enterprise. In the mid-1950s, Amish men had acquired driver’s licenses and were driving work trucks.

Garnett, Kansas Amish
Garnett, Kansas Amish (Photo courtesy of www.onlyinyourstate.com)

And that practice grew from that point, although it eventually declined. Quite an unusual one. This is not something that’s common and I would guess this would probably surprise Amish people if you told them that this is something that’s permitted in, in this particular community.

So they’re kind of still holding a line of not owning the cars and not using them for personal purposes, but they’re allowing some kind of, let’s call it practical use for, for work purposes. So you see Amish draw lines when it comes to technology in some interesting places. Sometimes other Amish churches are not going to agree with this. But this kind of underscores the idea that there are many different ways of being Amish within the horse-and-buggy Amish world.

Number eight, Aylmer Ontario.

So a couple of interesting things about this community in Canada. This is the home of arguably the most influential Amish publishing house, Pathway Publishers.

They’re responsible for a number of widely read publications among the Amish and plain people. Best known of those will be Family Life, which is a publication that started in the late 1960s. You’ll find that in Amish households where you have, you have stories that teach morals.

Aylmer, Ontario Amish Buggy
Aylmer, Ontario Amish Buggy

You have people writing in with questions, and issues in their community. Amish consider this to be very wholesome and appropriate reading.

Aylmer’s interesting too because it’s part of what you might consider the reformist Amish who emphasize high moral standards, which would mean being maybe more restrictive on some of the dating practices and courtship practices that might also include, you know, not using alcohol for example, or, or tobacco, while at the same time keeping quite low levels of technology.

Sometimes you have the first part, but also have higher levels of technology and that’s more common in what you’d call the New Order Amish churches, that kind of combination.

Number nine, Kishacoquillas Valley, Pennsylvania.

Kishacoquillas Valley, Pennsylvania Amish Yellow Buggies
Kishacoquillas Valley, Pennsylvania Amish Yellow Buggies

And this is a very small community, also quite old. It’s actually been around since 1924. Kishacoquillas Valley is also known as Big Valley.

What makes this community unusual is the color of their buggies. They’re actually an unusual kind of yellow hue. It’s sort of a brownish-yellow. This is the least common Amish buggy color. The most common Amish buggy color is black. That’s seen in hundreds of communities. While this Is really only seen in this area.