Christmas in the Amish Home (part 1)
Christmas is the most important holiday that is celebrated
by the Amish people. In fact, Christmas is so important in the Amish community
that it is celebrated over the course of two days. December 25th is
always reserved for fasting, meditations, scripture readings, and other
religious activities that focus on the solemn celebration of the birth of
Christ. December 26th, or Second Christmas, is meant for
celebrating the season with family and friends with gatherings, feasts, and
gift giving. This is not to say that these Amish activities are the same as
the traditional Christmas celebrations that are observed by most Americans
because they are quite different in many ways.
Amish Christmas celebrations vary depending on what part of
the country the Amish family is located and how strict that particular Amish
community is. While no Amish community practices the tradition of Santa Claus,
some Amish families may decorate a tree with candles or send out Christmas
cards, while other Amish families consider these practices too extravagant and
unnecessary. It really depends on the beliefs of that particular Amish
community as to what types of Christmas traditions they may or may not follow.
Amish communities in the Midwest tend to be stricter and more
traditional in their Christmas celebrations and do not participate in many of
the traditions that other more liberal Amish communities do. The Amish
families who live in the Pennsylvania Dutch areas of the country have been
greatly influenced by German Christmas traditions and are readily practiced in many
Amish households. These traditions often include lighting candles and placing
them in the windows throughout the Amish home meant to symbolize the birth of
the Christ child. Multi-pointed stars, angels, and greenery are also popular
decorations used at Christmastime in many Amish homes. Stars and angels might
be cut out and strung on stings around the Amish house with popcorn, or live
greenery might be used to decorate hearths or over doorways and windows.
Decorating the Amish church is also a custom that is often
practiced by Amish parishioners. This usually involves building a nativity
scene or "putz" outside of the church or creating ones for display outside
various Amish homes in the community. These nativity scenes are often put
together by the Amish children in order to better understand the story of the
baby Jesus and might consist of wooden or clay figures. They are often made
into quite elaborate scenes with painted backgrounds, live plants, and even
running water. The entire Amish community or family will often get together to
build the church or home nativity scenes which are meant to evoke quiet
contemplation and focus on the meaning of the season.
Contrary to popular belief, Amish families do exchange gifts
on Christmas. Most Amish families usually pick names out of a hat and are only
required to give one Christmas gift to one family member each year. These
gifts are usually handmade or useful in nature. Younger Amish children will
receive handmade clothes, rag dolls, wooden toys, or books. Older Amish girls
might receive household items that they can add to their hope chests for use
later in life when they are married and have children, such as china, quilts,
and other house wares. Older Amish boys might receive tools for use on the
farm or other useful projects. Amish wives typically receive cooking or sewing
implements and Amish husbands might get a tool or something for the horses.
Christmas in the Amish Home (part 2)
