Perhaps the most interesting religious group in the United States is the Amish people. Holmes County, Ohio, and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, boast the largest Amish population in the United States. The Amish wear old-fashioned clothing, drive horses and buggies instead of automobiles, and they prohibit the use of electricity. You might want to consider taking your next vacation or family trip to one of these Amish areas.
Amish Customs
An Amish wedding is quite different from most weddings in American society today. To begin with, the wedding is not likely to be a June wedding. That’s because such a large portion of Amish are farmers. From spring through the fall harvest, most Amish are busy working in the fields. So spring, summer, and early fall are not ideal times for their weddings. For that reason, most Amish weddings are held in November and December. Up north, where most Amish live, January and February are too wintry for travel.
One of the first tasks in preparation for weddings is planting celery. About 300 stalks of celery are typically eaten at an Amish wedding, so lots of celery must be planted in advance of the wedding. The bride will sew her own bridal dress, and she will also pick identical material for her bride’s attendants, who will also makes their own dresses. The appropriate dress for the groom and the groomsmen will be black suits that have hooks and eyes in the place of buttons.
Amish Wedding Ceremony
The couple will not be married in a church building, but instead at the home of the bride’s parents. The ceremony itself is rather simple. All singing is acapella and is done in groups, for no performers are allowed. However, there is no absence of singing, as the wedding guests themselves sing quite a number of hymns. The bride and groom typically enter while the second hymn is being sung. When the singing is over, the presiding minister will preach a sermon that stresses the permanency and responsibility of marriage.
Once the sermon has ended, the new couple come forward with hands joined. Now, the Amish bishop asks the husband a number of questions: “Can you confess, dear brother, that you accept this woman as your lawful wife, and do you promise you will not leave her until you are parted by death? Do you acknowledge that this institution has come from the Lord and that you have come to this point because of your faith and your prayers? Do you affirm that you will always remain loyal to your bride and care for her if she is ever in suffering, disease, hardship, weakness or faintheartedness, as is becoming a Christian, God-fearing spouse?”
The bride is asked similar questions. Upon each of them saying “Yes,” the minister then pronounces the happy couple to be man and wife. And that concludes the ceremony.
The author, Tomas Byler, has written extensively about Amish life. He recently authored an ebook about the Amish, entitled “Amish Life.” It describes their unique way of life and explains why they live the way they do. This ebook features many color photos. For a limited time, you can receive a free copy by visiting his website, Amish life.
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