Most
Amish schools prepare Christmas pageants. Since Amish children attend school
right up till Christmas Day, the pageant is generally set for the afternoon of
December 24. Parents and other relatives attend and watch with pride as their
young people recite poems and take part in skits—many of which contain moral
teachings about Christmas charity, faith, and love—and sing Christmas carols.
Earlier
that day the children may have taken part in a gift exchange in which each
child, having drawn a slip of paper with another child’s name on it, brings a
present for that boy or girl. For most Amish, Christmas morning begins with
farm chores. Afterwards the family gathers for breakfast and Christmas gifts in
the kitchen. In nineteenth-century Amish families, parents set out plates on
the kitchen table and piled their children’s presents on top. They usually gave
their children things like nuts, raisins, cookies, candy, and rag dolls and
other homemade toys. Other Pennsylvania Dutch families also set out Christmas
plates in past times. The custom of setting out Christmas presents on the
kitchen table seems to have died out among other groups, however. Today Amish
families exchange a few useful gifts on Christmas morning. Typical gifts
include simple toys such as skates and sleds, books, homemade candies and cookies,
kitchenware, and household items. A large Christmas dinner completes the day’s
activities.
On
December 26 the Amish celebrate “second Christmas.” This custom, once common in
Pennsylvania Dutch country, came into being so that those who devoted much of
December 25 to religious observance did not miss out on all the Christmas fun.
It’s a popular day for family outings, visits, games, and other leisure activities.
No comments:
Post a Comment