The Amish and Thanksgiving Day

Some of you may be wondering how the Amish spend their turkey day. After all, we know that Amish holidays differ somewhat from most of traditional society, so that would lead one to believe their Thanksgiving holiday is also different. The fact is, however, that most Amish affiliations still celebrate this family and food oriented day much in the same way we do. Of course there are some notable differences, but Thanksgiving in Amish communities is quite similar to modern cultures.

When Thanksgiving rolls around, most Amish communities will celebrate it by bringing their families and close friends together to share a good home-cooked meal. Depending on the size of the family, they will gather in the one of the largest homes of the elder to prepare a feast for everyone to enjoy. The women typically do the food preparations consisting of turkey, fresh rolls, dressing, corn, squash, carrots and a variety of vegetables. As you can expect, cooking enough food to feed a large Amish family takes a long time, and it’s not uncommon for the women to spend several days preparing and cooking the necessary food for Thanksgiving.

The good food doesn’t end with the main course, however. After everyone is done with their meal, several different desserts are laid out. Some of the most common include pumpkin pie, apple pie, cakes, brownies and cookies. Guests and family members who come over for the Thanksgiving feast will usually bring a side item or dessert with them. Sometimes desert followed by singing, board games, and an inspirational story.