Quiz sur les Amish

Hello everyone. Today, in order to understand how the Amish community lives, we're going to present their traditions and ceremonies, which are quite special and set them apart from most of society. Answer the questions in our Kahoot test and we'll explain each tradition the question was about.

1.Amish church

Where are the Amish church services conducted ?

• In schools
• In churches
• In church members’ homes
• Outside in fields

The right answer was the third one, “in church members’ homes”. It could seem surprising but holding services in church members’ homes rather than in designated church buildings is a way for the Amish of affirming/straightening their community, which is divided into church districts geographically. Services are conducted every other Sunday and each family hosts neighbors about once a year. It is a real act of worship, a preservation of tradition and a renewal of faith for the Amish.

5.Amish singing

What makes Amish singing particular ?

• They sing in German
• Only men are allowed to sing
• They sing texts of the Bible
• They sing a capella

If you answered “they sing in German” and “they sing a capella”, you were right ! During religious services, all hymns are sung in German and the Amish always sing in unison with no musical accompaniment. But the most incredible aspect of Amish singing is probably the fact that the hymnals contain no musical notation and are never written down. In fact, the Amish simply hand on melodies from generation to generation. Most of their hymns have originated in ancient sacred or secular folk songs, or Gregorian singing.

9.Wedding service

Divorces are forbidden in the Amish religion.

• True
• False

Yes, that’s true, divorcing is not allowed in this community and that’s why the wedding is a key step in an Amish’s life. The wedding service is held in the home of the bride’s parents and respects a few specific rules. After the service, the benches are put together to form tables for the wedding meal. This feast includes roast, mashed potatoes and coleslaw,, and some leafy celery stalks are put in jars to decorate the table. Several wedding cakes are made by the women to feed at least the 200, 300 or more guests of the wedding. And of course, as you can imagine, the Amish have singings during all this day of celebration.