Bonnets, that is.. most, but not all, of the women wear bonnets. In their native countries which was Germany and Switzerland, they were made of straw for summer and felt for the winter. They were worn mainly for head protection while in the fields. At first they thought the bonnet wearing was vain and to much pride. Gradually it came to be accepted and the bonnets are worn in almost all the communities today. The bonnets are to foster the meek and modest. Their long hair, which cannot be cut, is held in a white mesh net cap usually under the bonnet.
The Amish honor the inspiration of the quilt pattern. Quilts are the center of the Amish heritage.We saw some of these beautiful designs by the planting of certain flowers that form a heritage quilt in bloom. Some of the quilts having a price tag of over $5000.00 in some of the samll shops owned by the Amish in Indiana.
We attended the large flea market called Shipshewana and it is one of the largest in the U.S. Every Tuesday and Wednesday from May through the middle of October, there is an antique and livestock auction that the Amish and Mennonites take part in as well as the flea market. They are all on the same grounds and buildings. We were very lucky to have been there to witness both the flea market and both auctions. We saw well over 100 horse drawn buggies and they have the right of way on the farm roads and bikes are also a mode of transportation for the Amish. They do not like to have their pictures taken.....oops....I didn't know. The children only attend school up to 8th grade and college is always out of the question. The boys are taken to the fields at about age 16 and the girls always taught the ways of being a wife and mother and most are married at a very early age....something interesting we found out though....even though they do not have cars or do not believe in driving or any modern conveniences ...they can ride with someone in the car if they need to. Hummm...
It would be well worth your time to visit this place, pronunced ( Ship-she-wana) Indiana. Full of heritage in the heartland.
Glenn and Georgia
- Routes2Remember
- We decided that it was time to see America so we sold our home (in 3 weeks) and bought a new 5th wheel and took to the road. It was hard to leave our grandchildren but with email,texts and cell phones we knew they would survive...and so would we. Almost everything we own is in 3 pods in Texarkana Texas. We plan to travel as much as we can and have met so many great people so far..and who knows...maybe we don't need all of that "stuff" in storage cause we sure don't need it on the RV. A very simple lifestyle and we love it more everyday.
No comments:
Post a Comment