Plain Talk about Amish Thanksgiving

"Do you like turkey?" I asked Monroe (who just left his Swartzentruber Order).

"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."

Real Complexities of the Simple Life

I love the paradox of this title. There is great complexity behind the façade of the simple Amish life.

Frequently I'm asked about the Amish Anabaptist heritage. Amish and Mennonite are religious cousins - both coming from this 16th century European movement. At that time, Anabaptism was a radical Protestant departure from the dominant Roman Catholic Church, where the bishop was both the secular and spiritual ruler.

One Anabaptist thrust was separation of church and state. "State" meaning secular government and "Church" meaning the assembly of the redeemed. Well, that didn't go over. Anabaptists were persecuted, tortured, and terrorized by Roman Catholics and some Protestant states.

My Amish Buggy Ride

One Summer evening, around sunset, we visited Monroe and Sarah's brother -- who is still Amish. While at his farm, 15-year-old Amish Enos, who had been visiting, was ready to leave the property. "Oh wait," I called out to Enos. "Can I have a ride in your buggy?"

Enos grinned and invited me to jump on board his open buggy. This type is used for hauling hay and other bulky items, similar to how we use a pickup truck. He hitched up the horse with ease and deft while I sat awaiting my ride on the single, wood bench. I carefully inspected each detail and the large wooden wheels. Swartzentruber buggies must use wooden wheels with a metal band. Rubber tires are against their rules.[Click to Tweet that] Enos lit the side lamp on the buggy and climbed up to join me.