Do Amish celebrate Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving (November)
Though Thanksgiving is a secular holiday, the Amish have adopted it as one of their celebrations. The Amish work 6 days a week, so Thanksgiving allows them a day of rest to spend with their family.


What holidays do Amish not celebrate?

The Amish do not typically celebrate July 4th, Memorial Day, Labor Day, or Halloween. They do not believe in going to war, so they don't celebrate the holidays concerning our freedom. They mostly celebrate religious holidays.

What holidays do the Amish recognize?

When it comes to holidays, the Amish celebrate many of the same ones we “English” do. And though Amish holidays aren't likely to include our federal holidays like Columbus Day or Labor Day, many Amish observe other holidays such as Easter Monday, “second Christmas,” “Old Christmas,” Pentecost, and Ascension Day.


Does the Amish celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas?

With that said, most Amish communities recognize Pentecost, Easter, Christmas, Ascension Day, Good Friday and of course Thanksgiving. These are generally considered religious holidays; therefore, communities observe and celebrate them accordingly.

Do Amish believe in Santa Claus?

Christmas, it's the most wonderful time of the year! But Christmas for the Amish is not a time for Jack Frost, elves, or visiting Santa Claus. Rather, Christmas is focused on the celebration of Christ's birth. As the holiday approaches, some Amish families may decorate with greens inside their homes.


The Amish & Thanksgiving



Do Amish have toilet paper?

Try purchasing common household items in bulk such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, flour, sugar, coffee and more. The more you make buying in bulk a habit, the more items you will end up finding available in bulk. Finances are a large focus of the Amish way of life.

Do Amish believe in birth control?

Birth control and abortion are forbidden by religious doctrine, even when pregnancy is life threatening. The Amish church has no rule against immunization, but only 16-26% of Amish children have received immunizations against the common childhood diseases.

Do Amish marry their cousins?

Marrying a first cousin is not allowed among the Amish, but second-cousin relationships are allowed. Marriage to a "Schwartz" cousin (the first cousin once removed) is not permitted in Lancaster County. The onset of courtship is usually not openly discussed within the family or among friends.


Do Amish drink alcohol?

They didn't want anything to do with alcohol or tobacco, and both of these are strictly forbidden in the New Order Amish groups. And the same is true for the Beachy Amish/conservative Mennonites as well. They also have rules against alcohol and tobacco use.

What do the Amish call their Christmas?

The Amish also celebrate what they call "Old Christmas." Old Christmas falls exactly 12 days from Christmas Day, and is the observance of the Epiphany or "Three Kings' Day" when the wise men came to Bethlehem to find the baby Jesus.

What month do most Amish get married?

Amish weddings are typically held on Tuesdays and Thursdays in November and December. However, for larger communities and those not driven by the agrarian calendar, weddings may be held in the Spring and into the Summer.


What time do the Amish go to bed and wake up?

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.

Do Amish couples get divorced?

In the Amish community, divorce is forbidden and not sanctioned in the Amish church. If a member of the community violates this, they are violating their vows that they took during their Amish baptism, which takes place between the ages of 18 and 22 years old, according to National Geographic.

Why can Amish not wear orange?

An Amish community in very northern Maine demanded a law that would allow them to wear red while hunting. The new law allows anyone to not wear blaze orange because of a strong religious conviction.


What is forbidden in Amish culture?

As part of their Ordnung, Old Order Amish forbid owning automobiles; tapping electricity from public utility lines; owning televisions, radios, or personal computers; attending high school or college; joining the military; and initiating divorce. All Amish groups expect men and women to wear prescribed clothing.

At what age do Amish leave?

The rumspringa period begins when an Amish youth turns sixteen; at that age, since the youth has not yet been baptized, he or she is not subject to the church's rules about permitted and forbidden behaviors.

Do Amish allow cell phones?

There was also concern that the phone removed people from the physical, face-to-face communication so important in Amish society. Similar to transportation, though, it is just the ownership of telephones that is forbidden, not the use of them.


Do Amish wear bathing suits?

Amish and Mennonites

“People might wear a suit and some people might wear shorts and tops or whatever,” she said. “There's quite a bit of variety.” Also, Nolt said, young children are able to wear more modern swimwear, as they are not yet official members of the church.

Do Amish kiss at weddings?

After their wedding, the white cape and apron used in the ceremony is kept in a safe place until her funeral. There's no first dance, kiss at the altar, or photographers at Amish weddings.

What do Amish do on their wedding night?

The Amish wedding night will usually be spent in the bride's parent's home, as the couple will need to assist in clean up the following day. They will then spend their first months of marriage – their honeymoon – visiting relatives. (This is when most gifts they receive will be given.)


Do Amish get to pick who they marry?

Unmarried Amish choose their own husbands/wives, and the woman is very much involved in the process. Courtship often begins with a young man transporting a young woman to and from one of the many singings or Sunday worship.

Do Amish believe women's rights?

It is clear that women are valued in Amish culture, and on some levels are even afforded types of equality and freedoms that women outside of Amish society might not be. In Amish weddings, for example, the woman is not “given away” by her father to her future husband, as is often done in non-Amish weddings.

What is the most common Amish last name?

Miller is probably the most common Amish last name in Holmes County. And other more common names are Troyer, Yoder, Hershberger, Schrock, Gingerich, Schlabach, and Hochstetler. (Sometimes you will find slight variations in the spelling). Many of these Amish last names are also common in Indiana and other states.


Do Amish see regular doctors?

The Amish religion does not restrict people from seeking modern medical care. For the most part, Amish use local doctors and dentists and will go to specialists and hospitals as determined.