Last December my husband and I had the privilege of
attending the Amish School Christmas programs (two of them) of our “Amish
grandchildren”—which is to say, the children of some of our Amish friends. I’ve known both mothers since before they
married, and now they have eleven children between them!
Anyway—it was a rare glimpse into how Amish school, church,
and family life are tightly intertwined.
Most Amish children in this area get their education in private
parochial schools, taught by Amish teachers and supported by the people of
their local church districts.
Both programs followed the same basic format: The children presented poems, songs, skits,
and short plays, both as a large group and by grade levels. Each school had about 40 students (or
“scholars,” as they are called). They
attend school from grades 1 through 8—never beyond—but that’s a story for
another day.
The first program was at a school in Goshen County, Indiana,
and it lasted about 90 minutes. (The
photo above is of a different local
Amish school.) I was so impressed at how
well-rehearsed the students were, and the great amount of material they had
memorized so flawlessly! But my favorite
part was a song which all the students sang (in German) a song which was called
“Kommet Alle Zu Dem Stalle”—which translates as “Come All to the Stable.” The children sang the song strong and clear,
and it was like hearing a choir of angels.
The second program was at a school in St. Joseph County,
Michigan, and it lasted about 60 minutes.
Again, the students were well-rehearsed and poised, and they had been
carefully coached to speak loudly enough to be heard. (Both programs had perhaps 150 people in the
audience, and we were almost the only “English” in the crowd.)
Besides all the English-language songs, poems, and skits
which were performed, the students and the audience sang “Stille Nacht,” which
is our popular Christmas carol “Silent Night” in German.
But the highlight for me was the singing of a song from the
German hymnal which is used by the Amish.
This one was sung to an old Amish tune, as all their Sunday church hymns
are. It’s hard to describe their church
singing style… It’s unchanged from the
1600s and sounds almost other-worldly, with its lack of a regular tune or rhythm.
The words are below.
After the second program we attended, there was lots of good
food served potluck-style in the school’s lower level, and I was able to take
this picture (below) of the front half of the schoolroom. The student desks had been removed and the
Sunday-church benches moved in for the program.
(I wrote about the bench wagon in another
post.) I was glad to be able to share
this part of Amish life, and it really made it feel like Christmas!
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