"Haven't had it," he answered.
"You haven't eaten turkey?"
"No."
Wow, that surprised me! Maybe it's just his family. Harvey, Mosie, and the others love turkey! And being raised on large farms, they love hunting.
So do the Amish acknowledge or celebrate Thanksgiving?
Some do. Some don't. They're aware of our "English" commemoration of this historic day but, as separatists from an Anabaptist tradition, many orders don't recognize our American - outsider - traditions.
John, who I blogged about, left his Old Order Amish community. He told me that growing up, he "had a fasting day on Thanksgiving Day."
"In the church service just prior to Thanksgiving," John continues, "the bishop would announce a reminder that Thanksgiving Day is coming up, and that we all need to keep it as a fasting and prayer day.
Fast Day means church members don't eat breakfast, and everybody stays home, spending time as a family. At noon we ate a regular meal, and spent the afternoon much like a Sunday at home, or went to visit the elderly and ailing folks.
"I guess you might say it was '"soberly thanking the Lord.'"
Rebecca, another former Old Order (OOA) said her settlement, "never celebrated thanksgiving or Christmas. I don't remember of being aware that such a thing as Holidays existed."
Ammon, who was Old Order Mennonite, or horse and buggy Mennonite, wrote to me, "they celebrate huge turkey dinners and pumpkinpies and large family reunions. They have thanksgiving church services in the forenoon."
There ya go, like I've always said here, there are many differences among the Amish. People who want to be informed and respectful, recognize that Amish are not all the same.
My mom usually asks, "Are ya having the boys in this year?" She means, am I including the ex-Amish guys. So far, all are from the Swartzentruber - or lowest - Amish order.
Usually, I answer Mom with, "Yep." But this year, each is scattered around the country. Levi moved to Iowa. Mosie's in North Carolina. Josh is dating Sarah and they'll probably want to be together at home. I've not heard from Noah. Monroe, I dunno, he might visit his still-Amish brother if he can dodge his unhappy-at-him parents.
My daughter Lynsey and her wonderful husband, my son-in-love Harvey (ex-Amish) will join us. Our younger daughter is teaching overseas and can't make it home. (sniffle. I'll miss her!) It could be us four this Thanksgiving. Or six ex-Amish may join. I remain flexible as our "family" swells and reduces year to year.
Whatever, or whoever is with us, we eat. A lot. Then we play games. Watch football on TV or watch movies, my hubs' fave, Christmas Vacation. We know that movie script by heart.
Question: What's your family doing for Thanksgiving?
Funny thing for me is that growing up, we didn't celebrate Thanksgiving. I mean, we knew it was Thanksgiving, but we didn't do anything special, have any family tradition, eat turkey & such, ...nada. Christmas was celebrated with a church service. During the Christmas season, but not exactly on Christmas day, we ate traditional Puerto Rican foods. That was the extent of it. No Christmas tree or decorations were ever a part of Christmas. It's what I knew, so once I had children, I admit it was pretty close to the same, although we did incorporate some kind of a family meal for Thanksgiving, and still do traditional Puerto Rican foods for the Christmas season.
ReplyDeleteThis year we'll have a Thanksgiving meal at my sister's house. My mom, who just turned 96 lives with her, so, although my children won't be there, it'll be some nice family time. Lots to be thankful for.
Thanks Dali, I enjoy hearing about your Puerto Rican childhood days. You make a point that parents often repeat their childhood traditions. Happy Thanksgiving!
DeleteI forgot to add that the lack of a Christmas tree and such was due to the belief that it was a sin. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, Brenda!
DeleteI don't remember having Thanksgiving as a child even though we knew that it was. Never really thought about that until a few seconds ago. I think it must have been because my dad always worked on holidays. But when I was with him it was Thanksgiving all the time. He cooked for a living and baked homemade biscuits, tossed cheese on them for me, would hand me a piece of fried chicken before others got one, let me lick the spoon from the cream cheese frosting bowl. His heart was amazing and he made every day special. I miss him so ... he passed away in 1997. Now once we got grown we did have Thanksgiving and my daddy taught me how to make his dressing the year before he died as he sat in a wheelchair. I never mastered it. Maybe I will simply treasure knowing he made the best ever! Happy Thanksgiving ...
ReplyDeleteAw, what a beautiful tribute to your dad. And your descriptions made me hungry!
DeleteWe celebrated Thanksgiving in Japan, all my years of growing up there. We'd get together with fellow Americans and have turkey (you had to go to a special "western" store to purchase turkeys). It is a wonderful holiday. Sorry to hear that the Amish don't engage in the festivities of this day.
ReplyDeleteWell, this is turning into an international blog post. haha I know the Amish are an American sub-culture, and I love reading the other comments too. Well, some of the Amish engage in festivities but, limited, not like us wild "outsiders"
DeleteMy mother's favorite holiday was Thanksgiving. I always think of her on this day. She would set a fancy table and we would have so much food. often as a family we would play card games after the meal. lots of good memories and much to be thankful for.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Jean. Isn't it interesting that we have feasting and the Amish have fasting?
DeleteWe always went to my grandparent's house and I have many memories of lots of great cooking, love and laughter. One of the hardest parts of aging is not having the same faces around the table. Yes, there are new ones and I love each of them dearly but I sure do miss my parents and grandparents. Their legacy of love lives on in my heart. Happy Thanksgiving Brenda! Teresa from NanaHood.com
ReplyDeleteYup, as we age Teresa we see a "changing of the guard." Thanks for reading and leaving your comment.
DeleteBrenda, you always come up with the most interesting blog posts. We've always celebrated Thanksgiving Day in my home, growing up and now. We're originally from Arkansas just simply Christians who have latched on to the liturgical holidays of other worshipers. When Thanksgiving is over, I begin listening to Handel's Messiah, originally performed at Easter time, but now a Christmas favorite. The many scriptures that are sung trace the beginning and fall of mankind through the prophecies about the Messiah to Jesus' arrival, crucifixion, and resurrection. And the final verses tell of his return to collect his followers. A list of the scriptures can be found online. Might be a nice way for your readers to usher in the season when we look forward to Jesus.
ReplyDeleteGood ideas Cathy.
DeleteAnother interesting post, Brenda. Before your writing, I'd never realized there was so much variation. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanksgiving blessings to you and whoever is around your table tomorrow!
You" get it" Vonda - there are many differences within the Amish and I resist books or blogs that disregard these variations. Thanks for reading.
DeleteI'm surprised as so many different Thanksgiving traditions within the Amish orders. A day of fasting seems so contrary to what Thanksgiving is about. The original pilgrims celebrated Thanksgiving with the food that they were able to produce and with the native Americans who helped them to survive.
ReplyDeleteAs a child, often times we went to visit family in West Virginia. Since we lived about 4 hours away from most of our extended family, holidays seemed special, so spending Thanksgiving with family - Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, and cousins was highly treasured! We always had the traditional turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, etc., along with pies and cakes. Everybody liked to eat!! Thanksgiving is a celebration, around the dining room table, where we are thankful for those harvests. Thank a Farmer for your Thanksgiving meal tomorrow - you will be blessed!
I believe - or have been told - that the Amish tradition of fasting and prayer on Thanksgiving morning is to place emphasis on God alone.
DeleteYou make a good point, Lisa, that the farmer is responsible for our food supply.
Thank for this blog. After just returning from Bird In Hand and the Lancaster area I have such appreciation for the differences in the Amish. I went on an Amish buggy tour through the farmland and we stayed right across the road from a one room schoolhouse. I love the Amish and there simple life of God and family. I know that it isn't an easy life but I definitely wish I were more like them in many ways.
ReplyDeleteYou can choose to be more like them Linda, turn off your power source, dress plainly, make most food items and clothing by hand, etc. Just go off the grid :-)
DeleteI'm glad you see the differences in the Amish as there are about 40 different orders - give or take a few. Each order has a different ordnung (set of rules), different behaviors & beliefs. Keep reading past blog posts and you'll read about the different buggy colors, too. It's definitely a complex culture.
I have a Power Point presentation about Amish education, called Inside the one room schoolhouse." Libraries and a private luncheon invited me to share on that topic. Before 2009, I knew woefully little about the Amish, then God threw some ex-Amish across my path. Some lived with me, one married our daughter, and others we helped in varying ways.
Since 2009, I've been on a learn curve and have been privileged to hear intimate stories and insider facts about primarily the uber strict Swartzentruber Order.