Married Amish women are differentiated from the unmarried by the color of their bonnet., Amish women's bonnets signify their marital status.
In the Amish community, married women usually wear white bonnets, while unmarried women wear black bonnets.
Amish women always wear their bonnets to keep their heads covered all the time. It is against the Ordnung rule to keep their head uncovered. Amish women wear their bonnets to indicate commitment and honor in marriage, an institution the Amish take seriously.
However, some Amish communities have general exceptions, which might be confusing. For instance, during the winter, some communities allow married women to wear black bonnets for warmth.
Why are White Bonnets used to Signify Marriage?
The Amish culture emphasizes humility and modesty. Different Amish communities observe slightly different traditions.
Yet even Amish of the same communities may have their concepts on using white bonnets to symbolize marriage.
Amish women are restricted from wearing accessories by the Ordnung, which focuses on the notion of modesty before the community and God.
Modesty entails a sense of simplicity and plainness to the Amish. Also, because of their manual labor. Amish view jewelry as a constraint.
The Amish community prohibits jewelry. Amish rules and beliefs restrict women from wearing any accessories. Amish women wear clothing that resembles those of 17th-century European peasants to keep their humbleness.
The clothing symbolizes their traditional ideas and the interpretation of the biblical restrictions and rules. In the Amish faith, wearing rings is viewed as a way of drawing attention to their body and a sign of pride; hence they are not allowed to wear them.
Instead, Amish women wore white bonnets to symbolize marriage. Since the women cannot wear a wedding ring, the Amish community turns on another easy option: the white bonnet.
What is an Amish Kapp? Click to read.
Amish Marriage Value.
The Amish community is highly rooted in marriage; thereby, something easy to identify is another reason the Amish use white bonnets.
Contrary to modern American custom, which typically involves rings (at least as a baseline) and a wide variety of courtship practices, Amish marriages are usually preceded by a time of courtship.
Amish men and women start spending time together to see whether there is a connection between them just like in the 1940s and 1950s.
The Amish value marriage and family highly, and courtship is an integral part of it. So, married women wear white bonnets to demonstrate their incapacity for courtship, just as the males grow beards to show their inability for courtship.
They are "off the market," as they say in America nowadays. However, the fact that men and women employ similar signals to signify marriage does not imply that they are on equal footing.
The Amish are a very traditional religious group, consisting nearly entirely of white Caucasians of German heritage who share the same faith. The Amish community has a shared history that dates back generations, making it easy to maintain traditions.
Among these customs is a pre-feminist homogenization of gender roles and expectations. When a married couple starts a family, the woman takes on the additional role of raising a family.
Amish females are consigned to home and garden activities. Traditionally males are portrayed as breadwinners and manual laborers
To put it mildly, the Amish view of gender is sexist, and to put it firmly, it is out of date. As a result of this sexist view of the past, society expects different things from men and women. That a woman will cover their hair in public is one such norm.
The stereotypical (and sexist) view of a woman entering a marriage with a respectable man assumes that she is pure. Combining these customs leads to the assumption that married women should wear white bonnets as a sign of their status.
To this day, Amish women continue to wear bonnets and dresses in all shades of white as symbols of religious and social modesty.
Also, check out: Can Amish Widows Remarry?
What is the Origin of White Bonnet?
There is no record of Amish women being required to wear white bonnets as a sign of their purity and submissiveness to God, but it's not hard to imagine that this is why they do so.
It was actually a method of appeasing the sexist sentiments of Amish men like Jakob Ammann. Amman's preoccupation with holiness and striving for repentance and atonement via penitence may have played a role in this.
This is a strict interpretation, and the Mennonites at the period of the Great Schism, when Ammann officially separated his followers from the Swiss Brethren to form the Amish, would have agreed.
Over the past three centuries, it has become even more rigid. Obviously, the Amish have not kept up with the rest of the world in terms of ideology and technology, for better or worse. Therefore, her white bonnet still identifies a married woman in the Amish community.
How are Amish Weddings?
Amish weddings differ from non-Amish weddings, which are accustomed to enjoyment and are lavish affairs.
Also, the weddings incorporate Amish faith into their ceremony significantly because they usually happen on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The schedule gives the couple families time to clean up for the occasion and clean up for the event. Sunday, which is considered a sacred day, is not supped to be used for labor. Commonly, weddings occur after the fall harvest in November to evade the cold weather of winter.
Amish weddings entail a wedding reception held at the bride's family home and a church service. Their wedding celebrations typically involve spending time together and eating food. However, there is no dancing at the wedding ceremony.
When do Amish get married?
Amish typically marry after the adolescent period Rumspringa. Amish marry young at around the age of 20-23. Although.
Both partners should be Amish church members in order to be married. The youths are allowed to socialize at events like church, home visits, or frolics to find a prospective date.
What is the Bride and Groom's Attire?
Amish women make their bride's dresses in purple or blue fabric. Although, other Amish communities allow the bride to wear black clothes.
Blue is the most favored color for the wedding dress. After the wedding ceremony, an Amish bride can wear the wedding dress again to the Sunday church service.
The dress has no train or lace. Fascinatingly, Amish women are buried with the same dress when they die. Typically, the groom wears a tie, a black suit, and a black hat.
Also, the bride and the groom wear high-topped shoes. Amish women are not allowed to wear jewelry like necklaces or earrings; therefore, a wedding ring is never used in an Amish wedding.
What does the Amish Wedding Day Entail?
Amish weddings typically start early in the morning and take about three hours. The bishop privately meets the groom and bride before the wedding service to give them instructions, advice, and blessings.
The bishop delivers the wedding sermon, the congregation sings the hymns, and the bride and groom exchange their vows.
The church service is followed by a wedding reception at the bride's family home, where the couple's friends, relatives, and acquaintances gather to celebrate.
The occasion involves the eating of two meals: dinner and supper. Also, other meals to be enjoyed at the Amish wedding reception include Amish casserole, pies, mashed potatoes and gravy, creamed celery, and sweet treats like cookies and donuts.
The feasting continues till the darkness enters. After the wedding guests have left the bride's family home later in the day, the newlyweds spend their first night with her family.
Also, the honeymoon comprises weekend overnight visits to numerous relatives where gifts are presented, and new acquaintances are made.
Amish newlyweds never go on a honeymoon. Instead, they assist everyone in cleaning up after the wedding and then spend a few more months with the bride's family till they later move to their own home.
Do the Amish Practice Polygamy?
An Amish marriage is highly rooted in faith, family, and community. Their marriage only consists of one man and one woman; hence polygamy is not allowed.
An Amish man is the head of the family, while the woman is the home and children caretaker. Also, once an Amish couple gets married, they are married for life. Unlike in European families, Amish marriages are a community concern.
Bottom Line
In conclusion, Amish women wear white bonnets to indicate they are married. Unlike the English women who wear rings, Amish women are not allowed to wear jewelry.
The Amish culture emphasizes humility and modesty. The unmarried wear black bonnets while the men keep their beards growing without shaving.
Also, the bonnets help in easier identification and portray gender roles. Amish women wear their bonnets to indicate commitment and honor in marriage, an institution the Amish take seriously. However, some Amish communities have general exceptions on the bonnet's color, which might be confusing.
For example, during the winter, some Amish communities allow married women to wear black bonnets for warmth.
Amish marriage ceremonies also adhere to modesty and simplicity as they are based on the Amish faith, unlike non-Amish weddings meant for enjoyment and lavishness.
Leave a Reply