Okay, you will not find Halloween celebrations in Amish communities. Full stop. I mean, I know there are exceptions to almost every Amish rule. You can usually find differences here and there, but I just don't know of any Amish settlement that does a full-throated embrace of Halloween. That doesn't mean, however, that the Amish completely ignore it. And there is a legend about the Amish and witches, but that is a separate post.
👻 The Amish and Halloween
The Amish do not celebrate Halloween. Generally, their beliefs and values are not aligned with the holiday's origins and traditions.
The Amish are a Christian denomination that originated in Switzerland in the 16th century and Halloween is incompatible with that. Look, I mean, many people have a "light" take on Halloween: candy, pumpkins, and such, but even that is generally passed over by the Amish. Most Amish view the day as having roots in paganism and the day is often associated with darkness, death, and the occult.
🎃 Some Ways the Amish Might Observe Halloween
The reality is that the Amish are not a completely closed, insular culture. Pop culture and all its trappings swirl around the Amish. And the reality is that a good percentage of Amish attend still attend public schools and in those settings Halloween and its trappings are observed a lot more.
Classes may have Halloween parties, candy exchanges, or have art projects like pumpkin decorating. Amish parents may sometimes have their children opt out, but often it is easier just to let them participate and parents will give their children a contrasting view at home.
There is also a fine line between Halloween decor and festive autumn decor. You might well find a harvest wreath or a pumpkin on a porch at an Amish home, but that should be interpreted as seasonal flair, not an endorsement of Halloween.
I have heard of Amish teenagers who will participate in some Halloween hijinx, but to the chagrin of their pious parents. Such trickery might include soaping up the windows of someone's buggy or, yes, toilet papering a buggy. I've heard of some of these instances, first hand. So, yes, the "trick" in "trick of treat" is not unheard of.
Also, the Amish celebrate the season through special foods. Whereas the Amish might not be inclined to observe the day in any other way, they might through food. I sampled "Broomstick Cookies" at an Amish home once.
🍪 A Few Amish Halloween Recipes
Mini-Sugar Cookie Pumpkin Pies
💀 Reasons Why The Amish Steer Clear of Halloween
Here are some of the reasons why the Amish do not celebrate Halloween:
- They believe that it is a pagan holiday that is not in line with their Christian beliefs.
- They believe that it is a frivolous and wasteful holiday.
- They believe that it promotes violence and fear.
- They believe that it is a time for the devil and his followers to be active.
The Amish are a diverse group of people, and there may be some variation in their beliefs and practices regarding Halloween. However, as a general rule, the Amish do not celebrate Halloween.
🙋 Amish Halloween FAQ
This would be very, very rare. Almost unheard of. The only instance I could think of is perhaps Amish kids who attend a public school and do so for a sanctioned school event. Otherwise, no, while I hesitate to say "never" I cannot imagine ever seeing an Amish child dressing up for Halloween.
Again, I hesitate to ever say "never", but this would be very, very rare to see. Perhaps an Amish children might participate in a public school class-to-class trick-or-treat and/or candy exchange, but I can't imagine ever seeing an Amish children dressing up and going door to door. Although I have heard some reports that some Amish children Geauga County, Ohio actually do go door-to-door. I'd love to hear from readers about this
Again, very, very rare if ever. I can imagine plausible circumstances where perhaps an Amish or Mennonite family that live in a more "suburban" area might leave a bowl of candy on the porch, or hand out fruit. But I think that would be very rare.
Halloween Memories
Wow, this is an old picture of me and my daughter, who is now 10. Geez. Well, I found this old Halloween post that I wanted to update and here we are. My daughter was just over a year old in this photo and she was dressing up as a ladybug for her first Halloween. She was a real cutie then and I am glad I have this photo. It all passes so fast. But what is really on my mind - and yours - is: do the Amish celebrate Halloween?
No, the Amish do not as a rule observe Halloween. But as I said, they don't outright ignore i.
Do The Amish Celebrate Halloween?
My hometown held the annual rite of autumn: costumed kids going around from house to house saying "trick or treat!" It's the one day a year when kids do what you are told not to do the other 364 days: take candy from strangers. That in itself makes the day feel kind of odd. Granted, we trick or treated in our neighborhood with Aster, so not everyone was a stranger. Aster looked cute in her ladybug costume and ever the dutiful Dad, I carried her up to the doors to say the magic words. She's too young for 99 percent of the treats, but I'm not, so it was a good deal for me!:) (unless losing weight is my plan in which case, it was an awful evening) Someone was handing out packets of animal crackers at one house, so Aster might get in on those. I can imagine being a school-teacher today would not be fun with all these sugared up, chocolate-hyped kids. I'd say communities that hold the event tonight might have made a wise move in that respect.
By the way, in case you are wondering, Halloween is generally not something that the Amish youth would participate in. The reasons would have less to do with theology than frivolity. Amish kids do participate in some Halloween pranks, teenagers might soap up someone's buggy or windows as a gag. And Amish who attend public schools might well pass out and receive some candy. But that's about the extent of it.
Kathy Barnes
Aster looks sooo cute in her costume. Thanks for sharing cuz this gramma loves babies.
God bless you,
Kathy Barnes
Kevin
Thanks, Kathy!:)
Jane
If you want to read more about what many Mennonites believe about Halloween read this Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/notes/steve-stutzman/darkening-the-mind/10203145490818240?pnref=story
Kevin
Thanks, good reading, Jane!
Helen Christensen
Aster is so cute. What a cute ladybug outfit. What did she think of Halloween and going to houses trick or treat?
Kevin
Helen, I think she couldn't quite figure it all out at first, but it didn't take long for her to get in on the fun:)
clk
way too cute!
Kevin
Thanks!:)
Missy
As a whole the Old Order German Baptists don't do Halloween (that I've heard of anyway) but there were a few families (relatives) I know who would trick or treat each others homes.
Kevin
Thanks, Joyce, I was wondering about the Brethren take on Halloween, I'll have to ask Rosanna sometime to write about that!
Paul Fishman
I would agree with the Amish as a whole NOT celebrating Halloween since it is a holiday in celebration of the coming of the Antichrist.