How The Amish and the Pennsylvania Dutch Celebrate Easter
Easter is celebrated by many Christian denominations in the spring of each year and the Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch are no exception. In fact, in many Amish communities a second day is even added to celebrations such as Christmas, Easter, or Pentecost. The Amish do celebrate these holidays as a sacred time, but adding a second day allows for religious observations on one day and quiet family activities the next. The additional days are called Second Christmas, Easter Monday, and Pentecost Monday. Good Friday and Whit Monday (the day after Pentecost) are also kept. This extra day may be allotted to visiting friends or relations, shopping or various recreational activities.
The day prior to Pentecost, is called Ascension Day and it is a holiday for families to go visiting, or perhaps go fishing together. While most homes in American have fallen into a commercialized celebration of Easter, Easter festivities in an Amish home are spared from commercial trimmings. The European tradition of decorating or painting eggs may still be seen in some Amish households. Like many other children the Amish may receive a basket of candy. The Easter Bunny does not visit Amish homes and the Easter season is considered a sacred holiday. This is a time to observe religious customs such as fasting and to meditate on scriptures. The extra day is a time to enjoy a day from work and participate in family gatherings or quiet celebrations.
Shrove Tuesday is known as “Fasnacht Day,” or “Fastnacht.” Shrove Tuesday falls the day before Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the season of fasting known as Lent; a Catholic custom that lingered on into some Protestant churches. While Lent was not allowed to be observed in many of the Anabaptist churches because the Anabaptists rejected all the Christian holy days believing that these holy days were created by the Romans, some of the other Pennsylvania Dutch or, more accurately, the Pennsylvania Germans did keep with their European Lutheran backgrounds.
The Pennsylvania Dutch prepared for Lent on the Monday before Ash Wednesday. Dough was put out in straw baskets to rise and later be cut into squares and deep-fried in fat. These deep fried dough squares and served with hot coffee at breakfast, where they are split in half and spread with honey or coated with confectioners’ sugar. The Pennsylvania Dutch knew that 40 days of sacrifice lay ahead and thought it wise to use up all the fats and sugars in the house and gorge themselves on delicacies prior to the fast.
“Gruna Dunaschdawk,” or Green Thursday, is the day before Good Friday. This was the day to eat something green with the belief that this act would insure good health for the next year. “Kaofreidawk,” or Good Friday, immediately follows Green Thursday. On Good Friday the family would attend church services and the “haus frau”, or housewife, would begin the boiling and decorating of the eggs. There was also a traditional meal to break the Lenten fast on Easter morning.
Tags: Amish, Anabaptists, Easter, Easter Bunny, Fastnacht, Green Thursday, Pennsylvania, Pentecost, Shrove Tuesday, The Amish, Whit
