Old Believers in Uruguay through the eyes of a resident of Latin America. American Old Believers Amish Settlements in the USA

You probably noticed in my two previous stories there are photos of women in long
dresses and bonnets. They look, let's say, a little unusual against the background of others
and the girls asked me to tell you in more detail who they were and why they were dressed like that.

So: in the photo are Amish Mennonites.

To be honest, I know about the life of the Amish only from stories, although I see them quite often, but I have never come across them closely.
Throughout America, dozens of the most diverse sects live in different places, since one of the main principles of the country is freedom of religion.
As long as the sectarians do not break the law, they are not touched and they live according to the customs that they have adopted.
The Amish are a Christian movement of Mennonite origin.
Its founder is Jacob Ammann, a priest from Switzerland who emigrated to Alsace (Germany) in the second half of the 17th century.

Those who today are called the Amish (after the name of the largest sect) actually consist of Protestant sects that are not very different from each other, of which the largest are the Old Order Amish proper (Old Order Amish, almost like "Russian Old Believers") , Mennonites and Brethren.

The first of them appeared Mennonites (from Menno Simons - the founder of the sect), back in 1530.
Unlike other Protestants, for example, they only baptized those who had reached the age of 18.
The Old Order Amish (named after Jacob Ammann) separated from the Mennonites in 1600 and went even further: they were already against any interference of the outside world in their lives.
At the end of the 17th century, most of the Amish were forced to flee persecution and emigrate to America.

Now the Amish live in 20 US states, there are many of them in our Wisconsin, and hardly any of you know that tens of thousands of people live in the United States in the 21st century, preferring a horse to a car and a tractor, practically not using electricity and telephone, mineral fertilizers and other achievements of civilization.
And these people live not only in the outback, their largest community is located in the state of Pennsylvania, just an hour and a half drive from Philadelphia.

Outwardly, representatives of different Amish sects almost do not differ from each other, just as their philosophy of life is almost the same.
It is no coincidence that the Amish themselves call themselves "plain people", that is, ordinary people.
They all wear very simple clothes: the women must wear long dresses, as the Bible teaches modesty.

The dresses are plain, made of fine wool-like material, but with an obligatory apron: for a married woman it is black, for an unmarried woman it is white.
The style of such a dress has been stable for the last two hundred years.

Even a wedding dress is sewn in one color, without decorations, of the same style, so that tomorrow you can wear it to work.
The external differences between single, married and married are strictly regulated.
This is the shape of hats and bonnets, the color of the dress and other insignificant little things.

So bonnets for married women in the form of a heart.
They do without jewelry, do not use cosmetics and perfumes and do not wear short haircuts.

In memory of those sad times when they were persecuted in their historical homeland by Prussian soldiers, dressed in bright uniforms with wide belts and large buttons, men wear only suspenders instead of belts, and women try their best to avoid buttons, replacing them with pins and hairpins.
Mennonites dress like the Amish, but their traditions are less strict.

They do not have divorces, but young men are allowed to communicate quite freely with girls of marriageable age.
Free means talking, joking, walking together on Sunday.
The appearance of Amish women on the streets after dark for no particular reason is considered debauchery.

Men wear straw or black felt hats.
Only married men are allowed to wear beards, but the Amish do not wear mustaches, they are prohibited by law.
The Amish usually do not serve in the army; they have never fought in their American history.
Amish men's hats:

On the right, a high hat is for the holiday, and on the left, lower hats that young men who may already be married have the right to wear.

The trousers support suspenders, there are no buttons on the trousers, they are replaced by a system of hooks, loops and drawstrings, as worn by sailors.

Interestingly, Amish families tend to have 7 children, which is why the Amish population is one of the fastest growing in the world.
If in 1920 there were only 5,000 Amish, then in the past, 2011, there were already 261,150.
The Amish are also distinguished by their unwillingness to accept some modern technologies and amenities, they value manual labor, simple rural life, and practically do not use modern technology.

They ride on horse-drawn carts, they basically do not use cars, considering them too easy and seductive way to travel to the outside world.
The most common Amish carriages are rectangular cabins, which they call "buggies" (from the word "bug" - beetle, and "buggy" respectively "bug").
For the Amish, the horse has always been and still is not a luxury, but a means of transportation.

The Amish also often use scooters for individual transportation.
In addition to horse-drawn transport and scooters, another significant difference between the life of the Amish and the life of the civilized part of humanity is the almost complete absence of electricity and telephones in their homes.
Moreover, they are not against electricity as such, the whole thing, it turns out, is in the wires that bring it down and, in their opinion, serve as another path from the pernicious outside world.
The same applies to pipes supplying gas.

They are forbidden to serve in the army, take pictures, drive cars and fly planes, have computers, televisions, radios, wear wristwatches and wedding rings.
But the Amish use electrical devices and mobile phones without wires, powered by batteries.

By the way, here's a photo of me taken in St. Louis Arch: an Amish Mennonite in the hands of a mobile.

Amish schools are a special topic.
All students, as in Tolstoy's story, sit in the same room and study for eight years.
The teachers in these schools are girls who themselves have recently graduated from them and have not yet married.
In schools, they study only those subjects and only to the extent that they will need on farms: botany, zoology, arithmetic, the basics of geometry, English and German.

The Amish believe that this education is enough for a traditional farming life, but if someone wants to give children a modern education, they can enroll them in the nearest regular school.
Of the books, not counting children's books, they kept only the Bible.
Of the paintings - wall calendars and a newspaper that they themselves print about the weather, harvest, milk yield, sowing or harvest.

Of the simple biblical values ​​that all Protestants tried to return to, the Amish revere family, honesty, and work on the ground as the main ones.
Considering the family one of the three main values ​​​​of life, the Amish pay great attention to community life.
For example, if one of the Amish needs a new house (a family was formed or there was a fire), they build it with the whole community.
Dozens, if not hundreds of men gather and in one day (!) build a large wooden house literally on a turnkey basis.
Women on this day prepare food for everyone, and such a day ends with a joint dinner.

In 1985, the country released a film called "The Witness" with Harrison Ford in the title role.
There is no better film about the Amish, I watched it in one breath.
Moreover, the director showed the Amish community with great respect and sympathy.

The film takes place in the Amish community, and there they just collectively build a house.
Amish houses, like most houses in America, are wooden.
If in the pictures they look like brick or even stone, then this is only a cladding: the frame and all the floors are made of wood.
Outwardly, Amish houses are no different from the houses of other Americans.

The only thing that gives them away is the laundry drying on a rope, since they don’t have electric dryers, and the harnessed buggies standing in the yards and near the farms.

By the way, the big “Red Army” stars on Amish houses are an old sign that has the same meaning as a horseshoe: for good luck.
Horseshoes also sometimes come across, but stars are more common.
An integral part of the interior of the Amish house is a patchwork blanket - called a quilt, as well as wooden things - chests, chairs, beds, rocking chairs.

A simple children's toy.
Children's toys are simple, home-made: rag dolls, wooden trains, cubes.
The Amish don't have nursing homes.
If there is an elderly person in someone's house who is no longer able to take care of himself, a duty list is established and the whole community helps.

Among the Amish there are not very poor, even by American standards, people.
This is explained by their very low expenses: they do not buy cars, do not pay for gasoline, they do not have mortgages (mortgages) on houses.
Also, the Amish don't buy insurance.
Even for visiting a doctor, they pay in cash.
If one of them needs a major operation, the entire community is reset.
The Amish do not buy expensive clothes, food, jewelry, cosmetics and perfumes, do not drink alcohol, and most importantly, they work on their farms and in workshops from dawn to dusk.

According to official USDA statistics, Amish farms are among the most productive in the country.

Amish farming is the old fashioned way; their cows graze in the meadows and their products are environmentally friendly and of high quality.
I always buy groceries in an Amish store with pleasure: the sellers are very smiling and attentive, however, it doesn’t happen differently in America, and the sellers are also dressed in strict dresses and caps.

In addition to being excellent farmers, the Amish are also famous for their handicrafts.
In their villages there are many handicraft shops and souvenirs made by them.

The Amish are famous joiners and carpenters, they make solid, slightly old-fashioned, but real wooden furniture.
Amish furniture is made entirely of wood, no chipboard.
The furniture is quite expensive, but very strong and reliable.
Lovers of such furniture come for it even from Philadelphia and New York.

Photographing the Amish is not easy.
I have almost no photos of the Amish, they do not like to be photographed and they themselves are never photographed.
For this reason, the state has developed passports without photographs specifically for the Amish.
Look, most of these Amish photos from the Internet are from the back or taken on the sly.

You won’t find family photos in Amish homes, but they have so-called “family lists” hanging on the walls.

Approximately such.
One list of parents, the other - of the modern family - name, month and year of birth.

But do not try to find even the most modest Amish church among them - the Amish simply do not have them.
The Amish in this matter went even further than the Mennonites: they generally abolished the church, literally following the Bible, for it is said in Scripture: "The Almighty does not live in temples made by man."
The Amish take turns gathering weekly in their own homes to read the Bible.

Even in everyday life, they still manage to literally follow the Bible, preaching three commandments in everyday life: modesty, simplicity and humility.
One cannot become an Amish at the behest of one's heart, one can only be born one.
According to the rules of the Amish, all members of the community once in their lives, in their youth, are given a choice: either to finally accept baptism, or to refuse and leave the Amish community, go to the big world.
Before that, they are allowed to try to live in the world, to see what and how it is there.
He can see all aspects of life in the world around him, both positive and negative, and make a completely conscious voluntary choice between life "in the world" and life in the Amish religious community.

The most striking thing is that up to 95 percent of young people, after looking at worldly life, return back to the community.
Only in adulthood do they take a deliberate step - baptism.

Most of the "strangeness" of the Amish way of life is associated with their desire to protect their lives and the lives of their children from the corrupting influence of the outside world.
Actually, this is an old philosophical debate, what progress brings more: good or evil.
There is still no answer to it, therefore it is philosophical, but the Amish still firmly believe that time can be stopped, if not in a single country, then at least in a single community.
No one in America prevents them from doing this, and God help them!

The text is based on materials from open Internet sources.

R The religious landscape of the United States is bizarre and contradictory. Freedom of religion and the absence of a "state religion" have formed a unique religious market, which is not inferior to the oriental bazaar in terms of exoticism. The religiosity of the United States is characterized by sectarian orientation and religious individualism. And among the sects that are common in the United States, there are also such exotic ones as the Amish - "Protestant Old Believers." They will be discussed
In this article, we will use the word "sect" in accordance with the definition of the sociologist Ernst Troeltsch: "a religious group that has departed from any religious community or church on oppositional, anti-conformist principles, sometimes led by a charismatic leader, most often motivated by the principles of more strict morality, discipline, service, and greater renunciation of the world."

Despite the fact that there are countless radical religious sects in the United States: post-Protestant, pagan, eclectic, believing in extraterrestrial civilizations, etc., throughout the 20th century, a rapid process of urbanization and industrialization continued in American society, as a result of cultural, economic distance between the Amish and the outside world has steadily increased. By faith-based choice, the Amish have remained predominantly an agricultural community, eschewing modern technology.

The Amish sect stands apart, attracting attention, primarily for its way of life, which has not changed since the middle. 19th century, for us it is like a museum, a living museum, the interest in which most of us limit to only a superficial acquaintance with these "eccentrics". We will try as objectively as possible, using sources of information from the Amish community, to try to understand, decipher a strange, wonderful, for many unhealthy choice - the way of life of the "common people".

The Amish sect, by its rejection of the world (which for them is the devil's playground) and the basic values ​​of American culture (individualism, competitive spirit, self-confidence) certainly cannot but arouse interest. Reclusion, rejection of the blessings of civilization, progress, collectivism and mutual assistance, and most importantly, constant observation of one’s soul, restrictions in everything, in order to achieve the ideal of humility, modesty, obedience to God - this is the goal of life for the common Amish people.

Naturally, for a person of the era of globalization, participating in the victorious march of the consumer society, with banners of the slogans of the postmodern culture "the relativity of everything and everything", the first reaction to the Amish lifestyle is rejection, misunderstanding and irony. As in the 21st century, in one of the most advanced developed countries that have aggressively, culturally and values ​​absorbed the whole world, where material wealth and individual success are the goal of life, there are people who completely deny, oppose and at the same time not oppose evil and these values, like on a moral and everyday level?

How is renunciation, opposition to this world, or rather its values, possible? And most importantly, why, that's the main question of meaning? - these reflections served as the motive for writing this article.

Let's start with history

So, the Amish sect is an extremely conservative Christian group, with its roots in the Anabaptist movement (from the Greek ανα - “again, again” and the Greek βαπτιζω - “baptism”, that is, “newly baptized”) Europe of the 16th century. (Not to be confused with Anti-Baptists!) Anabaptist Christians challenged the reforms of Martin Luther and other Protestant reformers, went further in reforming, revising the rules of the Catholic Church, denying infant baptism, advocating conscious baptism (Baptism) or adult rebaptism. The social system created by the re-baptism movement was as essential a part of it as was its religious teaching. The demand for unlimited freedom of man from the hierarchy and institutions of church and society went hand in hand with the recognition of absolute equality in society and the rejection of private property. Consistent sectarians strove for the restructuring of the entire life of society on new principles and for the implementation on earth of such social orders that would not contradict the commandments of God; they did not put up with any forms of social inequality and dependence of man on man, as contrary to Divine Revelation.

The religious sanction here not only justified, but also strengthened such aspirations. Later European Anabaptists became known as Mennonites, after the Dutch Anabaptist leader Menno Simons (Menno Simons 1496-1561), groups of Anabaptists fled persecution in both the Catholic and Protestant churches, first to remote corners of Europe, England, and then the United States. It is known that the Anabaptists, with their radical ideas and revolutionary spirit, were severely persecuted throughout Europe.

At the end of the 16th century, the most conservative group of believers, led by Jakob Ammann, separated from the Swiss Mennonites, mainly due to the weakening of disciplinary sanctions against members of the sect, the so-called Meidung or shunning - excommunication and avoidance of guilty, negligent members of the church. One of the distinctive teachings of the Amish is the prohibition or exclusion (ban or shunning) from associating with an unrepentant member of the church. The purpose of this disciplinary measure is to help the believer to realize his mistake and subsequent repentance, after which the believer can be returned to the church brotherhood. This excommunication at first concerned only Communion. However, Ammann's followers soon felt that an unrepentant person should be completely excommunicated. To this day, when a person is excluded from the Amish community / church, this means leaving their loved ones, their former life. All contacts with family and friends are cut off, excommunication is a serious measure, which is resorted to after several penalties and warnings. Eases in excommunication, in the discipline of believers and differences in religious practice led to a split with the Mennonites in 1693. The followers of Jacob Ammann later became known as the Amish. Although in general the Amish share many similarities with the Mennonites in their teachings and religious practices, the main difference lies in dress and service uniforms.

Amish settlements in the United States

The first group of Amish arrived in America in 1730 and settled in the area of ​​Lancaster, pc. Pennsylvania. Later, the Amish settled in more than 24 states of the USA, Canada and Central America, but 80% of them are located in pcs. Pennsylvania, pcs. Ohio and pc. Indiana. The Amish population in the United States is about 200.000, the number of the sect is constantly growing, due to large families (6-11 children in a family) with the preservation of up to 80% of the church membership.

The Amish groups share a common Swiss-German origin, language and culture, and marriages take place within communities. At the same time, those who choose to leave the Amish community and church are no longer considered Amish, regardless of their ethnicity. The Amish speak Pennsylvania German at home, but the children learn English at school.

Conservative and Progressive Amish Groups

In the 60s of the 19th century, there was another division, already within the community, between conservative and progressive groups in the United States. Once again, differences, disagreements about accepting the burgeoning US industrial world and discipline were not overcome, and the Amish split. Progressive groups have become part of the Mennonite communities, more accepting of the outside world, progress. A less progressive group became known as the Old Order Amish.

Today, in the United States and Canada, Amish groups are divided into several major groups. The Old Chine Amish, farmers, work the land with horses, are traditionally dressed, do not use electricity or telephone in their homes. Church members do not serve in the military, do not accept any financial assistance from the state, do not pay taxes to the US national pension fund. The Beachy Amish and the New Order Amish are less conservative in their rejection of technology, some groups allow the use of cars and electricity, and it is difficult to distinguish the members of the more progressive Amish groups from the usual Anglo-Saxons of America in appearance. There are roughly 8 different Amish groups, with the Old Chin Amish being the largest, conservative group.

The Amish community is bound by strong religious beliefs, is characterized by a high level of social interaction and mutual support, extremely rare divorces and family problems. The two main principles of the Amish are the rejection of Hochmut (pride) and the cultivation of Demut (humility) and Gelassenheit (equanimity)

Ordnung: order of life

The Amish community is bound by strong religious beliefs, is characterized by a high level of social interaction and mutual support, extremely rare divorces and family problems.
There are two main things to understand about Amish life:
1. rejection of Hochmut (German "pride", "arrogance");
2. the cultivation of Demut (German "humility") and Gelassenheit (German "equanimity") - often interpreted as obedience, rejection of initiative, self-affirmation, assertion of one's rights.
The readiness to submit to the will of God is expressed in group norms, the Amish way of life, which resonates radically with the cultivation of individualism, widespread in US culture. The main American "virtues", such as competition, self-reliance, are completely opposite to the values ​​of the Amish.
The whole life of the Amish is determined by the rules of Ordnung (German order, system). "Ordnung" formulates the foundations of the Amish creed, helps to define what it is to be an Amish and what is a sin. The Common Folk believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible and the Ordnung governing Amish life to ensure that the church lives according to God's Word. It is the duty of the believer to live a simple life devoted to God, family, and community, in accordance with the laws of God. The basic rules are: withdrawal from the world, hard work, submission of the wife to the husband, modest clothing, refusal to purchase insurance, pay taxes, refuse the national insurance fund and pension, refuse to use power lines, telephone, car.
It is worth noting that many prohibitions, rules are a personal matter of Amish choice, but the main goal of the Ordnung rules is an attempt to save a person from pride, envy, laziness, vanity, vanity, indulgence of human passions.
Ordnung defines almost every aspect of life: color, style of dress, length of hair, shape of hats, style of "buggy" (Amish wagon) and farm equipment, the order of Sunday service, kneeling, marriage, the use of horses in agriculture, the use of only the German dialect . The rules vary from community to community, so you can simultaneously watch farms without electricity, whose dark windows are illuminated only by the light of candles and Amish on foot and Amish driving a car.

Clothes, appearance

Clothing must be made at home. Amish clothing speaks of the believer's modesty and humility before God and separates him from the outside world. Clothing is sewn from simple, dark fabrics. Clothing should, among other things, contribute to the development of modesty, emphasize separation, withdrawal from the world, this is not a costume, but an expression of faith.
Men wear a simple suit without a collar, pockets, lapel, shirt, trousers and jacket, buttons are prohibited (as a reminder of military uniform). A headdress is required: it is either a straw or felt black hat; for married men, the hat has a special edging. Trousers without ironed creases, cuffed, worn with suspenders, black socks and black shoes. Belts, ties, gloves are prohibited along with sweaters - as possible means of developing narcissism, pride and laziness. Young men shave completely before marriage, married men grow a beard, shaving only the upper part above the lip, mustaches are strictly prohibited, as they are associated with the army.
Women wear a modest dress, with a long skirt and long sleeves, made of plain, dark fabrics. A cape (cape) and an apron are worn over the dress. Women are forbidden to shave and cut their hair, hair is collected in a bun. A woman must have a covered head, usually a white cap if the woman is married and black if she is single, any jewelry, including wedding rings, is prohibited.

Lifestyle

The Amish are staunch adherents of the principle of separation of state and church. They advocate a complete renunciation of military service and participation in hostilities. The Amish should never resort to violence. A member of the community must completely obey the church, since she received from God the authority to convey His will: "Obedience to the church is obedience to God."
The main difference, what radically distinguishes the Amish, making them a sect in terms of renunciation of the world, is their firm belief in the need to maintain separation: withdrawal from the outside world in the literal sense, physically (the houses are not connected to a common electrical grid, therefore, are not connected with " world"), and socially, in the moral, spiritual sense - the rejection of the values ​​of the world.

local government

Each congregation, called a district, must retain its autonomy. There is no centralized Amish organization for faith building and disciplinary control.
The Amish community is bound by strong religious beliefs, is characterized by a high level of social interaction and mutual support, extremely rare divorces and family problems. The house burned down - the whole community is building a new house for the family. Urgent medical care (as you know, the Amish do not have medical insurance) - the community pays all expenses.
Amish families are numerous: from 6 to 10 children. The Amish follow a patriarchal tradition. Despite the fact that the role of a woman is equal in importance to the role of a man, they are unequal in terms of influence. An unmarried woman is subject to her father, wives to their husbands. Housework and household work are separated, men work on the farm, women work in the house. An integral part of the interior of the Amish house is a patchwork blanket - called a "quilt", as well as wooden things - chests, chairs, beds, rocking chairs. Children's toys are simple, home-made: rag dolls, wooden trains, cubes. The family is the basic social unit of the Amish.

The rescue. religious practice

Salvation: The Amish understand salvation as the experience of living each day as a Christian, "the realization that life is being transformed day by day in the image of Christ." Salvation is not a one-time spontaneous emotional experience, as is the case with popular Evangelical/Pentecostal churches. The Amish do not accept the belief that salvation is guaranteed as a result of the experience of conversion, baptism, churching, and so on. For the Amish to have any assurance of their salvation is pride. The Amish believe that God carefully weighs a person's entire life, deciding the eternal destiny of the soul. As a result, the believer lives and dies without knowing whether he is saved or not.
The Amish church is “a body of believers who partake of the Sacrament as a sign of union with Christ and with each other. Being baptized in an Amish church symbolizes commitment to God and fellow believers." Each congregation is led by a bishop, 2-3 ministers and a deacon. Preachers and deacons are chosen by lot from those previously nominated by the community. The Old Chin Amish - conducts services every Sunday, in one of the houses of believers, the average number of "districts" (communities) is 170 people, believers are seated in different rooms, men in one, women in another.
The service, in the local German dialect, begins with a short sermon by one of the several preachers or bishops of the given "district", followed by scriptural reading and silent prayer, followed by a lengthy sermon. During the service, hymns not accompanied by musical instruments (they are prohibited) are sung. The singing is slow, one hymn can take up to 15 minutes to sing. The service is followed by lunch and spending time together.
Communion: Communion is held twice - in spring and autumn. Only church members who have been baptized as adults are allowed to receive Communion. The ritual ends with the washing of the feet.
Baptism: Adult baptism is practiced, only an adult can make an informed decision regarding his salvation and devotion to the church. Before baptism, teenagers are given the opportunity to experience life outside the community. This period is called Rum springa, a literal translation from the German Amish dialect "to run around (rum) (springa)." "Rumspringa" is a term for the period leading up to a major decision to stay or leave the community. Most adolescents (85-90%) successfully pass this period, remain in the community, becoming full members of the church. This period begins at the age of 16, ending with baptism or departure around the age of 21. During this phase, teenagers are freed from strict rules, and they can try, experiment: smoke, wear worldly clothes, use a mob. phone, drive a car, etc.
Weddings take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays in November and early December, after the harvest. The bride in a blue dress, which will be worn for other subsequent important events. Cosmetics and jewelry, including wedding rings, are completely absent. The ceremony lasts for several hours, followed by a festive table.

Funeral: Both in life and after death, simplicity is important for the Amish. The funeral usually takes place at the home of the deceased. The service is simple, without eulogies and flowers. The coffin is a simple wooden one, produced by the community itself. The funeral is held on the third day after death, in an ascetic Amish cemetery, where all the tombstones are the same, since no one is better than the other. In some communities, even the engraving of the name on the stone is not accepted, only the minister of this congregation knows where someone is buried.

Modern technologies

Different Amish groups have different attitudes towards the use of technology. For example, the bands Swartzentruber and Andy Weaver Amish are ultra-conservative, they do not even allow the use of battery-powered headlights. The Old Order Amish group allows motorized vehicles, including aircraft, cars, but is not allowed to own them. The New Order Amish group allows the use of electricity, the possession of a car, modern farming equipment (tractor, etc.) and a telephone in the house.

In general, modern technologies are used selectively, if any equipment violates the principles of "equanimity", modesty - it is prohibited. Anything that can lead to laziness, excess, fuss is strictly prohibited in Amish homes. 120v electricity connects to the outside world, which violates the Amish idea of ​​withdrawing from society. Owning a car can be a sign of higher status, and can lead to vanity, competitiveness, and envy within the church that breaks "equanimity" and modesty. Having a phone in the house can lead to the temptation of verbosity.

The Amish don't view technology and progress as evil, Church members may request permission to use a particular technology. Church leaders meet regularly to consider parishioner requests for permission to use certain equipment. New technologies can only be used for business purposes, not for personal entertainment. Any technological innovations that are seen as threatening, destroying spiritual or family life are prohibited ( TV has always been banned as it brings unbiblical values ​​into the home). Taking into account the innovations of civilization, the Ordnung of each congregation tries to create a balance between tradition and change.

Buggy vehicles and tools on the farm must not include rubbers. The Amish do not accept any technology that they think will weaken the family: electricity, TV, automobiles, telephones, tractors are all considered temptations of the world that can lead to vanity, create inequality, lead away from the community.

Amish land is cultivated with the help of horses, they grow corn, soybeans, wheat, tobacco, vegetables, potatoes. They live in houses without electricity, move around in wheelchairs "buggies". The telephone is used in Amish communities, but not at home. Usually, several Amish families use the same telephone, which is located in a wooden box between farms.

Amish schools and education

Education is historically not a value for the Amish. Children go to school until 8th grade, and after school they usually help out with housework and chores. Often, parents match their children with additional work outside the home to generate additional income. The 8-year Amish School teaches reading, writing, arithmetic, English, geography, history and Amish traditions. The Amish are convinced of the need for only elementary education in their schools. Schools are run by parents.

Our findings

Without going into theological discussions, a comparative analysis of the Amish sect, how Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox treat it, let's think about the choice of these people. They implement the idea of ​​renunciation of the world, more precisely, the worldly, with enviable consistency, and in their community this bears fruit. Is this what we Orthodox are called to do? Each of us every day, every minute finds himself between two poles: "the world lies in evil" and "I conquered the world." But if we do not solve problems on a global scale, but simply look into ourselves, into our lives, if you like, into everyday life, it will become obvious that this or that degree of renunciation should be present in our lives. Let not to the extent that the Amish have, but ... isn't it modesty, humility, mutual assistance and work that makes a person a person, brings him to a true level of existence? Yes, not only these virtues, but these too.

What do we know about the Old Believers? Perhaps only that they were always persecuted, but very steadfast in their faith. From the noblewoman Morozova to the modern Agafya Lykova, buried in the taiga wilderness from the "evil world", to the current Old Believer emigrants scattered all over the world. At present, in the state of Oregon in the northwest of the United States, there live Siberian Old Believers, immigrants from Altai Blinovs, Laptevs, Lysovs, "Harbinites" Kuzmins, Kuznetsovs, Yakunins, "Turks" Ivanovs, Petrovs, Zaitsevs ...

Candidate of Historical Sciences, researcher at the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Lidia Mikhailovna RUSAKOVA has been studying the history, life, culture, traditions of the Siberian Old Believers in America for many years. A graduate of Moscow State University, specializing in medieval England, she came with her husband, Robert Sergeevich, to Akademgorodok and worked for many years under the guidance of Academician A.P. Okladnikov. She has been on many expeditions in Siberia, East Kazakhstan, America, studying the peasant art, culture and life of the old-timers-Siberians who left Russia in the pre-October period, as well as in the first post-revolutionary years and during collectivization, and now living in various countries, including including the USA. We bring to the attention of readers her interview to the newspaper "Honest Word".

- Lidia Mikhailovna, tell me a few words about the roots of the emigration of Russian Old Believers.

The Old Believer "Church History" tells how a "plenipotentiary official" on the Don offered the schismatics there to choose between accepting new books and the gallows. And everyone agreed to die. "The tormentor gave only a sign - and suddenly they jumped up on the gallows and died, and after the death, the tormentor ordered the bodies to be thrown into the river, and with those floating dead to announce to other lower villages, what will befall those years." As a result of this savage reprisal, up to 40,000 "most householders" with their wives and children rose, and under the leadership of "their wise ataman Nekrasov" went beyond the Danube to Turkish borders. In the first half of the 18th century, the government, together with the synod, waged a fierce struggle against the Old Believer communities. They were fined for not accepting confession and communion in churches, they were charged a double salary for wearing a beard and an old-fashioned dress. Runaway Old Believers were caught, exiled to penal servitude, their nostrils were torn out, and schismatic icons and books were burned. Therefore, starting from the 18th century, new communities of Old Believers were formed mainly abroad. Including in America.

Currently, about five thousand Russian emigrant Old Believers live in the cities of Salem, Woodburn, Jervis, Mount Angel, Hubbord and nearby in Marion County, Oregon. Two groups of Siberian old-timers left China - from the province of Xinjiang and Harbin. In America, they call themselves "Xinyajiang" and "Harbin". I studied these groups during the expedition to the USA. The third group is the "Turks", Russian Old Believers who fled to Turkey in the first quarter of the 18th century.

- You probably got acquainted with a lot of family stories in the course of your research?

Yes. It has always been interesting for me to listen to people, to get acquainted with their amazing and sometimes very tragic destinies. Often I had to cry with them. From conversations with informants, it turned out that for the most part they themselves, or their fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers, had previously lived on the territory of Altai in the former Tomsk province. They were engaged in arable farming, deer breeding, beekeeping, hunting and fishing. Especially profitable was the breeding of deer, the antlers of which were sold at high prices to Russian merchants and Chinese. After the October Revolution and during collectivization, entire family clans fled to China, fearing arrests and confiscation of property.

Anisya Grigorievna Yakunina turned out to be an excellent storyteller among the "Kharbin" informants. Her family lived in Primorye, in the village of Varpakhovka, Yakovlev Region, where she came from the Vyatka province. My father was a good turbine mechanic. They kept an apiary, two horses for traveling and several cows. They sowed three tithes of oats, a "quarter" of flax, planted potatoes, and grew vegetables. The rest was purchased from the income from the mill. In 1930, dispossession began. They came for the father, and he ran out the window, dressed in his wife's sundress. "If he hadn't jumped out, they took him and shot him right away. Many were shot," said Anisya Grigoryevna. And she added: "Not for drunkenness, not for riot, not for robbery, he lost his native side - for his honest work."

In the spring, the family moved to China. Not far from Harbin we met my father's cousin, Mikhail Methodievich Martyushev, with his family. All together, having sailed 80 miles along the Mudanjiang River, they reached the small river Xilinghe and settled down. Soon the Kuznetsovs, Kuzmins, Valikhovs, Gastevskys, Kalugins, Semirekovs also came here.

After the entry of Soviet troops into Manchuria in 1945, the persecution of Russian Old Believers resumed. Many of them were arrested and taken to the USSR. The rest began to leave their homes. They left for Brazil. The path from Hong Kong passed through Los Angeles, where the Old Believers heard that a group of Russian Molokans lived in Marion County, Oregon. And the families of the Old Believers began to move there.

- Has the Russian language been preserved in the families of the Old Believers living there today?

Adult Old Believers, without exception, speak Russian. It remains the main means of communication in the family, with members of their religious community. However, many of them can be explained in English, Spanish, Portuguese. Small children, preschoolers communicate with their peers in English, and at home they often do not want to speak Russian. Persistent parents forbid the children in the family to speak English, sometimes even resorting to cuffs and slaps. Teenagers usually know both languages, but prefer English.

- And what is the main occupation of the Old Believer families?

Mainly it is agriculture. They grow corn, sunflowers, hops, berries - ozhin, gelding, logan, grapes. Berries are mainly sold, vegetables are grown for themselves. Women also work in a garment factory, while men work in a furniture factory. Sometimes they are hired to cut down forests and plant trees, but this work requires a long absence from home, which knocks men out of both family and religious life of the community. From women's needlework knitting is developed.

The weaving of belts continues to exist - on a loom, on a beam, on circles, on dies. But if earlier every girl learned to weave belts in order to prepare them in large quantities for the wedding, now this is mainly done by older craftswomen. And the girls order them to make belts for the wedding. One belt is expensive - from 18 to 25 dollars. In my presence, from one of the craftswomen, the bride bought 30 belts at once as a gift to the groom and all his relatives.

- Do the Old Believers still wear traditional clothes?

Yes, both on weekdays and on holidays, the Old Believers still wear the traditional clothes that their ancestors used to live in Siberia. A sundress, a shirt, a shashmura and a scarf make up a complex of women's clothing. Only girls and girls before marriage go with their heads uncovered. Boys and men wear shirts made by their mothers or wives. A belt remains an indispensable attribute in the clothes of children and adults. The first time he is tied up during baptism. Each family has two or three dozen belts.

Women wear sundresses every day. Women put on aprons over sundresses - aprons or zapons, the hem of which is decorated with stripes. Wedding clothes are no different from festive ones, only instead of traditional bright fabrics they began to use silk and lace white fabrics for shirts and sundresses. Older women don't like it. "Well, what is it, like a dead man, they sew," they say. Before the wedding, the bride puts on her head "beauty" - a cap made of artificial flowers or bows, to which five to seven multi-colored ribbons are attached at the back.

- Lidia Mikhailovna, have traditional rituals and customs been preserved in the families of Old Believers living in America?

Of the traditional rites and customs, which are an integral part of the all-Russian culture, and not just the culture of the Old Believers, the wedding ceremony is more or less fully preserved in Oregon. But I didn’t have to watch it myself, since I arrived at the beginning of Lent, and weddings are not celebrated during Lent. After watching the film by Margaret Hickson "The Old Believers" and the video filmed by my hostess, I noted that in the multi-day wedding action there are such important rituals as a bachelorette party, a "bathhouse" on Saturday evening on the eve of the wedding, the "sale" of the bride, her farewell to family and friends , wedding, wrapping the bride with shashmura, spiritual breakfast and "feast". During the "feast" the young for many hours, and sometimes two or three days standing, listen to congratulations and instructions.

The Old Believers of Oregon continue to be guided by religious attitudes that are rooted in the distant past. They kept the Julian calendar, celebrate twelve Great Feasts, the main of which is Easter, observe four fasts, and also fast on Wednesdays and Fridays.

There is still a ban on cutting hair for women and beards for men. Divorces are forbidden, which now occur, but are still severely condemned. Prevention and termination of pregnancy is prohibited. This is the reason for the high birth rate. And although many children die in infancy, families with ten or more children are not uncommon.

With regard to marriages, Russian Old Believers adhere to the principles of intracommunal endogamy. However, these principles are often violated. Young people of both sexes marry Americans. Some were forced to leave the community after that. But the mistress with whom I lived in Woodburn, Stepanida Ivanovna Geiken (nee Kuzmina), having married an American, showed exceptional courage and patience. Five years after the marriage, Pat Geiken accepted the Old Believer faith, regularly attends prayers with his wife.

- And in what houses do the Old Believers live - in private or ordinary multi-storey ones?

Many Siberian Old Believers acquired plots of land and became farmers. They live in one-two-story cottages, the dignity of which is determined by the number of bedrooms: two, four, six. The interior in such houses is not much different from the city - carpets on the floors, modern upholstered furniture. Those Old Believers who could not buy a house rent it at rather high prices or live in trailers. But in whatever houses the Old Believers live, icons are obligatory in each, which were taken from their native places and carefully stored for many decades.

I have long wanted to make a post about Russian Old Believers living in Oregon. Here I will show photos from the streets and the exposition of the Museum of Old Believers in Mount Angel Abbey, and closer to summer I will try to visit their villages.

Oregon is a provincial state, everything is in plain sight. Locals have long been accustomed to Russian women in long dresses and headdresses. In the 2000s, there was a new wave of emigration from Russia, and our modern girls said that they were asked why they were not wearing headscarves, since they were Russians.

The Oregon towns of Woodburn, Gervais, Mulino became home to 8-10 thousand Russian Old Believers. I always find it funny how my husband pronounces the last name - "malaino". I correct him: you have to say - "mu-li-no"! But this is only in Russian, of course.

In this photo, on the right is the building of the Museum of Russian Old Believers, and to the horizon - the beautiful Oregon Willamette Valley with fields and farms.

Mount Angel Abbey is an old Benedictine Catholic abbey that owns vast lands, forests and buildings with a total estimated value of up to a billion dollars. The museum was located on the territory of this abbey. Yes, yes, alas, in the past tense: recently, asbestos was discovered within the walls of the museum and the building was demolished to the ground. The collection was moved to temporary storage, but it has not yet been decided where it will be exhibited. So my photos are unique.
In the photo: the old bells of the abbey.

The Old Believers came to the Pacific coast of America from different countries: China, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey.

The journey to America for most began in northern Turkey, where the Old Believer community fled royal persecution more than 200 years ago. This group decided to move to the US because the number of young people for marriages had dropped to such a low level that they could no longer support the community. Closely related unions and, as a result, the growth of genetic problems - this is not about the Old Believers. Their ancestors established the rule of the eighth tribe: marriages between relatives up to the eighth tribe are prohibited. They perfectly know their pedigree to such a depth, all their relatives. When serious disagreements arose between Turkey and Greece, the US government, under the patronage of Robert Kennedy, provided the Russian Old Believers with two aircraft in New Jersey.

The Old Believers joined two other groups of Old Believers who immigrated to the US from Manchuria, Hong Kong and Brazil. These groups were assisted by Oregon charities supporting Christians from communist countries and the Tolstoy Foundation.

In China, they lived until the end of the 1950s, until they began to build communism there and drive everyone to collective farms. The Old Believers again took off and moved to South America - to Brazil and Argentina.

Not everyone was able to take root in Brazil on the lands that the government allocated to them. It was a jungle that had to be uprooted by hand, plus the soil had a very thin fertile layer - hellish conditions awaited them. Therefore, after a few years, part of the Old Believers began to look for new territories. Some went to Bolivia and Uruguay: here they were also offered jungle plots, but the soil in Bolivia is more fertile.

Someone found out that land is also being sold in the USA, in the state of Oregon. They sent a delegation for reconnaissance, they returned with the most favorable impressions, and some of the Old Believers moved to Oregon. But since the families of the Old Believers are large and they need a lot of living space, they eventually went from Oregon to Minnesota and further, to Alaska, where a certain amount of the Russian population has long lived. In the early 1970s, some Old Believers decided to leave Oregon due to undesirable modern influences. Twenty-four families left Woodbourne and moved to the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. They created the village of Nikolaevsk, where the Old Believers are the only inhabitants and are mainly engaged in fishing.

Russian Old Believers can be easily distinguished from the rest of the population. Women wear headscarves and long skirts, while men wear embroidered blouses, girded with sashes, and beards: "the image of God is in the beard, and the likeness is in the mustache." In the town of Woodbourne and in the villages adjacent to it, there are up to a dozen Old Believer churches. All of them, except for the Ascension Church in the village of Bethlehem, belong to the Bespriests. There are also communities of Russian Molokans, Doukhobors and Russian Pentecostals.

Although the Old Believers should avoid all modern technologies, they even use the Internet. It's not encouraged, but it's not forbidden either. In their work they use modern technology: in their fields they have tractors and combines, everyone drives cars. Old Believers must observe 40 religious holidays each year. About half of the Old Believers are farmers. But farming is becoming more difficult every year due to competition from imported products. Many families send their children to work with friends and relatives in construction companies.

The rules of the Old Believer communities prohibit food from the same dish from which a person of a different faith ate. Many keep special meals in their homes for guests when they arrive for dinner. The only restaurants they visit are fast food outlets where food is served in disposable plastic and paper containers.

My American nurse friend told me that Old Believers always ask to give them a cut umbilical cord after childbirth. I don't know what this tradition is about. But one day I read that, according to the old Russian northern custom, the umbilical cord was hidden behind the lintel in the house: there was a belief that this ceremony would bring beauty to a newborn girl. The Oregonians also said that Old Believers used to always pay in cash in hospitals.

Entrance to the museum.

The place is small, guides are not provided.

There are icons on the walls, mostly copies. On the left is a copy of the icon of the Mother of God of Alaska.

"Map of Old Believer Settlements Spoiler (click to open) in southwestern and central Russia, as well as in the possessions of the Austrian, Turkish and Moldovan" 1888. (If anyone is interested I can attach a high resolution scan of this map showing all the smaller towns.)

Samples of robes of priests.

Photo of peasants in the everyday clothes of the Old Believers.

Recipe for the compositions of the holy world with samples of ingredients.

Samples of women's dresses

Detailed floor plan of an old Russian log cabin. The house was built on the Russian-Chinese border in the village of Pechi in 1917.

The Chinese silk dress was made in Hong Kong according to the old Russian style and donated to the museum by a local resident Anastasia Molodykh (sorry for the quality of the photo, but I want to show such a beautiful dress).

Guide to the museum with the history of the Old Believers.

ABC of the Russian language of the modern edition. Russian as a second language is taught in elementary and middle grades in Woodbourne. In the city libraries of many Oregon cities there are shelves with Russian-language literature and Russian newspapers.

Prayer Singing Exercises.

Singing of the Sign, performed by a local Russian calligrapher.

A copy of the manuscript of the middle of the 18th century with a hymn to Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Drawings of household items of Siberian settlements.

Tabernacle, chalice, dish, Rapida.

Samovar handmade.

Houseware.

Sample chant of the Sign.

Church calendar 1990. Holiday dates are given in both Julian and Gregorian chronology.

Spike (crutch), fishing hook and photographs of houses from Fort Ross, founded by Russians from Alaska in 1811

Family tree of the Grand Duke Vladimir of Kyiv, who baptized the Russian land, the son of Svyatoslav and the grandson of the blessed Olga.

Photo gallery of the catacombs, household items.

Clay pots like this one were used by the Russians in China to make beer.

The story of the miraculous thicket of St. Sergius. Wooden image of the fingers of a cross with a detailed explanation of the symbols. Headdresses of priests.

The history of the Old Believers in illustrations.

The town of Mount Angel is inhabited by immigrants from Bavaria, who have preserved their traditions and revived the world-famous Oktoberfest holiday on American soil. This is one of my favorite local holidays in Oregon. During the four days of the holiday, the festival is visited by up to 400-500 thousand people! My husband, son and friends and I come here every fall. I have already published photos of this event - and - and I will definitely post new materials. It is a very joyful and colorful spectacle with music and dancing, beer and sausages, a fair and lots of entertainment. It's nice to see how people, young and old, dress in national German costumes. Last year my son went to Ukraine and brought me a real Ukrainian embroidered shirt and a red woven sash. I wore this vyshyvanka at the last Oktoberfest, adding a wreath with red ribbons, which I bought right here at the fair. I was bombarded with compliments, this national costume looked so beautiful.

Russian Old Believers dress up in their traditional clothes every day. And this girl, in honor of the holiday, decorated her headdress with a wreath.

The Old Believers sew their traditional long dresses themselves.

Vintage styles can be complemented by modern jackets, but scarves are an integral part of the look.

Throughout the fair there are pavilions with various cuisines and delicacies. All money earned is transferred to charitable foundations - this is a prerequisite for trading at the Oktoberfest festival. I always find among this variety a kiosk with Russian cuisine.

And here is the menu.

Russian girls work in the kitchen.

Trade is carried out exclusively by volunteers.

And this Russian woman looked after a group of elderly people, organized lunch for them. Maybe she works for an organization helping the elderly.

More photos of Russian cuisine taken in different years.

For us, Russian women, working in the kitchen is a common thing!

Modern youth is gradually moving away from strict traditions in clothing, bringing modern details to the costume. The same thing happens with the language - the Russian language is gradually being replaced by English.

One day I came to my favorite Nordstrom store and saw a saleswoman in traditional old Russian attire. She approached me and asked in English if I needed help choosing a product. I smiled and switched to Russian, saying that I would probably better explain to her exactly what I needed. But she admitted that she did not understand Russian, and we continued in English.

Quite often I meet Russians in the store - for example, a young mother of a family with two or three girls and involuntarily note that they all speak English among themselves. Even the smallest girls are already dressed in traditional dresses and headscarves. The picture is very beautiful, almost like from the canvases of ancient artists. It is nice to note that everyone has good manners, soft smiles and conversations in an undertone.

Our Russian ladies are very independent - once I watched how such a woman loaded a whole trunk with large purchases - a set of dishes, a microwave oven, some other household appliances - and famously taxied her jeep out of the parking lot.

There are times when a community of Old Believers acquires new followers. My good friend (born in the Urals) married an American, gave birth to two girls here, and baptized them with the Old Believers, having joined their religion.

Well, that's all for now. And in the summer I will try to continue this theme. I will be glad to your questions.

I never knew that Russian Old Believers live in the USA. Surprisingly strong and noble people. My acquaintance with them was, one might say, accidental. On the way from Seattle to Sacramento, we stopped at friends for the night. The city is called Salem, the capital of Oregon. Sitting at breakfast, we talked with the owner of the house. He said that a large community of Russian Old Believers lives in the vicinity of the city. Blogger blood began to play in my heels - a passion as I wanted to get to know one of them. So it turned out the exclusive below.

Leaving the unfinished coffee on the table, we immediately went on a tour. Success gave us a real Hollywood smile. Although when we drove into the street, on which the simple houses of the Old Believers and their neat little churches were located, it was deserted. Nothing indicated good luck.

The situation has not changed even after we started photographing local sights in the most brazen and bold way ...

And even some church documents.

Suddenly, a aunt appeared on the street. But... also suddenly disappeared. They only managed to take one shot. Talk was, apparently, not fate.

But you can't just take us. We began to photograph even more frankly everything that came across on the way. Perhaps someone will come out and "be indignant in spirit."

No one was particularly in a hurry to be indignant with the spirit, despite the fact that we went to extreme measures - we began to remove icons on houses.

It was already completely desperate, we loaded our mortal bodies into a jeep patiently waiting for us and drove towards the exit. But here, yes, yes, it was here that success lay in wait for us. On the side of the road, we found this charm.

We stopped to take a couple of shots, but then we were resolutely taken direction - a strict-looking uncle came out of the house and began to shout something across the road to the girls. As we expected, the uncle turned out to be the father of these angels named Stefan.

The man turned out to be a very sociable and nice person who easily got to know us and agreed to answer our questions. This man was born and raised in the USA, when he said phrases in English, it was heard that he was speaking in this language without an accent. But Stefan also speaks Russian, you see, quite nothing to himself.

"You don't have a beard - you have to stand on your back." Stefan does not consider himself a true Old Believer, for the simple reason that he does not have a beard. Therefore, in the video, he said that he was not allowed to enter the “prayer” (church). If only to stand at the threshold, to pray...

Stefan's father and mother were born in Turkey. Her ancestors moved there from Russia. When the community grew and it was difficult for young people to find a mate for founding a family, so as not to mix blood (and they could not even imagine marrying Turkish sultans), they moved to the USA.

Our narrator's father was a fisherman. Drove it from Alaska and sold it in Seattle. He died unexpectedly two years ago. He loved to take a bath. There he became ill. Didn't save.

But Stefan's mother is alive and well. When he said that the woman gave birth to 12 children, we were terrified how we wanted to see her. Unexpectedly easy for us, the owner invited us into the house. There we met a heroine mother named Akulina.

The house is equipped with a real stove - "potbelly stove" and is heated, as it should be, with firewood.

We found the most venerable woman at the kitchen - she was kneading the dough for dumplings with potatoes. Simply, without any pathos, Akulina told us about her difficult life, that all her life she worships God and observes His laws. Reluctantly allowed to photograph the iconostasis.

But her daughters clearly and gladly boasted. Actually, it was what. Boys and girls in the family were born exactly equally, six to six. Look how beautiful, bright Russian faces are. This is what it means not to drink vodka and keep offspring from mixing blood.

Girls get married early - from the age of 14. They say, "until they started making friends with the locals." And as you can see, they live very friendly, maintaining relationships in kinship.

And another one.

At parting, I could not resist and asked me to capture with these flowers. Amazing kids, I tell you. It comes from them physically felt humility and humility. Without saying a word to me, they obediently posed while the photographer took a few test shots.

Having circled the field, we drove into another yard. The house stands on the outskirts, and from this red stall the owners sell vegetables that they grow on their plantations.

The owner of all this farm named Athanasius was not very talkative at first, but then, realizing that we are not evil people, he began to willingly talk about his life.

He was born in the same way as Akulina, in Turkey, but his wife Efimiya was born in China. They met and got married already, having moved to America. And they had - what a coincidence - 12 children, six boys and six girls.