The Amish
The Amish, who speak Pennsylvania Dutch among themselves, live within highly personalised relationships, avoiding more than casual contact with strangers who might attempt to educate them to the ways of the outside world. The Plain People trace their origin back to the Protestant Reformation in Europe, where there was an emphasis on returning to the purity of the New Testament church. The history of the Amish church began with a division in Switzerland within a group of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists in 1693 led by Jakob Ammann. Those who followed Ammann became known as Amish. While the Amish avoid most of the conveniences of the 21st Century, something that most outsiders have difficulty understanding, they are happy in their way of life.
The Pennsylvania (PA) Amish of Lancaster County are America's oldest Amish settlement, where thousands still live a centuries-old "Plain" lifestyle. Arriving in PA Dutch Country allows you to step back in time to enjoy a slower, more peaceful pace, one where the horse & cart remains a primary form of transportation, and where windmills dot the landscape, providing power harnessed from nature.
Rumspringa is a Pennsylvania German term meaning “running around” and generally refers to a period of adolescence for some members of the Amish that begins at the age of 16 and ends either with the youth choosing baptism within the Amish church or instead leaving the community. They are no longer under the control of their parents on weekends and, because they are not baptized, they are not yet under the authority of the church. During this time a minority of young Amish might experiment with dressing “English”, driving motor vehicles and consuming alcohol.
The Pennsylvania (PA) Amish of Lancaster County are America's oldest Amish settlement, where thousands still live a centuries-old "Plain" lifestyle. Arriving in PA Dutch Country allows you to step back in time to enjoy a slower, more peaceful pace, one where the horse & cart remains a primary form of transportation, and where windmills dot the landscape, providing power harnessed from nature.
Rumspringa is a Pennsylvania German term meaning “running around” and generally refers to a period of adolescence for some members of the Amish that begins at the age of 16 and ends either with the youth choosing baptism within the Amish church or instead leaving the community. They are no longer under the control of their parents on weekends and, because they are not baptized, they are not yet under the authority of the church. During this time a minority of young Amish might experiment with dressing “English”, driving motor vehicles and consuming alcohol.