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Art and Amish await in Lancaster


An Amish barn raising

Understanding the Amish
All that said, there are still a lot of traditional faith-based reasons to attend Going On Faith in Lancaster as well. After all, groups have been traveling to this scenic countryside for decades to sample the Christian lifestyle to which the Amish ascribe. True to biblical teachings, the Amish around Lancaster have long been known for their hospitality to the outside world. In this case, “long” means centuries.

The region was settled in the late 1600s and 1700s by primarily German and Swiss immigrants who have since maintained several religious affiliations, including Lutheran, Reformed and Anabaptist. For many years, the Pennsylvania Dutch or Amish spoke exclusively German, but now most also speak English. When they are together as a group today, they still speak primarily a dialect of German, or “Pennsylvania Dutch.”

The Amish dress uniformly, believe in a literal translation of the Bible and hold fast to biblical values such as humility, obedience, honesty and modesty. Adult men wear dark suits with black or straw hats and generally begin growing beards after marriage. Adult women wear plain dresses with long sleeves, a cape and an apron and do not wear jewelry of any kind. Women of all ages wear a white covering on their heads most of the time and do not cut their hair.

The Amish do not use electricity, which results in many meaningful ways of separating themselves from the outside world. Without television, radio, or technology, the Amish are able to lead simple, agrarian lifestyles without many of the modern intrusions — or conveniences — most Americans take for granted.

They do not own automobiles and travel primarily by horse and buggy, but they do travel from time to time in cars, buses or trains for the sake of practicality. The Amish do not fly on aircraft of any type.