Chapter 5
●
85
Amish buggies on Sunday headed the same
way, you know it is church day.When you see
many buggies headed the same way on some
other day, then they may be going to a
wedding or a funeral.
The Amish people have other customs.
One is called
barn raising
. The Amish
community will get together and spend a
day building a new barn for a farmer. The
new barn can replace one lost by fire or be
one for a new farmer.
When someone does not obey the Amish
rules, they believe in another custom called
shunning
. Shunning is when no one in the
Amish communitywill payattention to the rule
breaker. He or she has to be sorry for breaking
the rule. Then the Amish will pay attention to
him or her again. For example, suppose an
Amish teenager is seen driving a car. That
teenager will be shunned by the Amish
community, including his or her parents.
The American plan of government
promises all ethnic and religious groups the
freedom to live and worship in the manner
of their choice. The Old Order Amish and
Mennonitehave a lifestyledifferent from the
onemost of us live. They are to be respected
for their way of life. Oddly enough, the
Pennsylvania Dutch in the Lancaster region
have become a huge tourist attraction.
Millions of people visit Lancaster County to
learn about their way of life.
ReviewQuestions
1. Fromwhat two countries in Europe did the PennsylvaniaDutch
move during the 1710s and 1720s?
2. What language did the PennsylvaniaDutch speak?
3. How did the PennsylvaniaDutch get their name?
4. Where aremost of the PennsylvaniaDutch people located?
5. What is a hex sign?
6. Why are the Amish people called the plain people?
7. Name three beliefs of the Amish that are different frommost people.
8. Explainwhether youwould like to attend anAmish school.
9. What is barn raising?
10. What is shunning?
Many PennsylvaniaDutch sell their goods at
farmers markets, such as Reading Terminal
Market in Philadelphia.
