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Old 10-03-2010, 05:43 AM   #2 (permalink)
noodle
Une petite chou
 
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Location: With All Your Base
My father's family is Mennonite. It's a less stringent division of the Amish.
The basic social "laws" of the Mennonites include the demure dress, women wearing coverings after age 12 ( I think) and girls in braids. Women in traditional Mennonite homes rarely work outside the home, if they do, it's in a helping profession or something related to building a stronger community (e.g. selling goods made or grown in the home). Children are encouraged to take part in all of the chores and responsibilities that occur in the home first and foremost, with school important, but second. Men typically also work in a position that contributes to a stronger community, like building, farming, vehicle repair, etc. Older Mennonites often stick to some of the more Amish-like "rules" including riding tricycles instead of driving cars, using candles after dark, and the like. Men and boys also wear more demure clothing as well. Legs are covered after a certain age, never exposed above the knee for either gender at any age. Men do not have to wear beards any more in traditional homes, but some do anyway.

From what I've learned, the religious aspects of the Mennonite culture center around building stronger communities (like the Amish), respect for God, and the traditional patriarchial society. Women are allowed to use birth control now, but it isn't really talked about. Traditional families are large, the children share in the burden of work and the belief is often that God wouldn't give them more than they could handle. My father's aunt had 17 children... 14 lived, I think. The women are expected to hold the household together, raise the children, and teach the Biblical laws and when the men come home, they are the Teachers, disciplinarians, and sometimes the "ruler" of the home.

Everything to me just feels very typical of most Christian-based cultures, but these followers are in what I view as almost "recovery" from the Amish beliefs. Strong community, strong churches, helping each other, demure dress and covering the body, protecting children from negative influences... but allowing for electricity, television (to a point), cars, modern conveniences, as long as they are still Christian. The cuisine is very German-based, heavy down-to-earth meals, lots of carbs, meat, and vegetables. Much is home-grown where able. Again, that focus on community... trading for what you don't have or selling it. And they have no qualms about interacting with those outside the Mennonite community. Best grocers in the town where I grew up.
And let me tell you, NOTHING beats a Mennonite pie of any kind.


Is that sorta what you're looking for, GG?
(By the way... when I was 12, I did a family tree. At that point, I had 225 first and second cousins. I can't count now, it was up to four hundred something and third cousins in my 20s)
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