How the Amish Pass Down Traditions
As we rocket into the future at ever increasing rates of speed, many of the items, memories, and traditions of our past get pushed off to the side and often forgotten as families become more distant and less connected to their past. This is not something that a typical Amish family can understand. The Amish are so in touch with their past that is has changed very little over the decades. Not only do the Amish treasure their past and where they came from, they honor it on a daily basis by living their lives very much the same way they have for generations. This, in large part, is due to the handing-down and passing-on of family heirlooms and traditions.
While tangible items are not generally treasured by the Amish as a whole, handmade items, such as Amish quilts, cedar hope chests, or wooden crafts, are often passed down to future generations. This keeps them connected to the past, just as they will continue to be connected to the future members of their Amish family and community. An Amish mother may make a special Amish quilt to be given to her daughter on her wedding day and this quilt may be passed down to her granddaughter when she gets married. The tradition of quilting itself is also handed down through the generations as mothers teach their daughters how to make the traditional Amish quilts just as their mothers taught them.
Amish fathers, who are often skilled woodworkers, might make cedar hope chests for their daughters to collect the items they will need when they get old enough to marry and start families. These hope chests are made using the traditional methods that were developed hundreds of years ago that require no nails or modern tools to construct. They might be passed down from family to family and treasured for many generations. Amish men will also pass on the skills and know-how of traditional Amish woodworking to their sons. They might also be skilled at making other items, such as handmade wooden toys and crafts. These toys and crafts might become treasured family heirlooms that have been handed down from fathers to sons over generations.
It’s this connection to the past that keeps the Amish people so unified and steadfast in their traditional ways of life. While most modern families will not have this strong of a connection to the past as the Amish do, it’s something that can be reignited and continued on into the future. Knowing where we came from and who our families were can make us stronger for the future. One way to begin doing this is to start collecting or finding the family heirlooms of our past. Even if it’s just finding one or two photos of a long gone generation, researching the family name through an online genealogy search, or sifting through grandma’s attic for forgotten family treasures, you too can start connecting with your past.
You can also start treasuring family heirlooms by creating them yourself. Even if you’re unable to find anything meaningful connecting you to your family’s past, you can start creating meaningful traditions and collecting heirlooms that will become treasured by family members in the future. Collecting items that are interesting or ones that are collected as a family is a great way to make memories that will be treasured forever. Collecting old books, making family photo albums, or putting together a collection of favorite family recipes are all great ways to connect the past, present, and future together. Much like the Amish, you might want to consider making or purchasing an Amish quilt that can be handed down for generations. Planning a family trip to Amish country will bring the family together for some precious quality time together and can include the whole family in finding the right Amish quilt for the family to treasure for generations to come.
Passing on these family heirlooms and traditions is important for children to understand the meaning of family and how they are but one small part of a long and rich history. Remembering where one comes from and staying connected to the past can bring everyone closer together. At some point in our lives, we all wonder where we came from and want to find out what life was like for those family members that came before us. Handing down these family heirlooms and traditions is the first step in understanding and staying connected to our past.
As the Amish have learned well over the years, keeping connected to the past will make us stronger in the future. So, whether you have a family heirloom or tradition that has been established already or your want to start a new one on your own, passing on what we are as a family today to future generations can be something that will be treasured by family members a hundred years or more into the future. Who knows, that Amish quilt you buy today, might end up covering the bed of a future family member as they set up their new home on the moon!
