The Amish Burial And The Funeral Director

The modern world is incredibly fast, so quick in fact that we can often fail to notice what’s right before our eyes. In a world of SMS, email, Skype and many other forms of 24 hr communication, there exists a community that know nothing about any of these things.

The Amish vow to live life as simply as possible. Without the need for TV, PC’s, mobile phones and even man made power. Famed for their dark, often scary to us, clothing, Amish men proudly sport full beards, whilst the women’s clothes cover their whole bodies.

The Amish express bereavement quietly and often alone. There is little public openness about death, although those close to the deceased do pay their respects across the three days between death and funeral.

Although the Amish mourners still wear their traditional black to the funeral, the deceased person is dressed in white. For males, this usually comprises white trousers, shirt and vest, while for females it will be a white dress, cape and apron. For many married women their white cape and apron will be the same ones that they wore for their wedding.

On the day of an Amish funeral, the community hold a church service in the deceased’s home or sometimes in a barn. When addressing the congregation (all delivered in German) the minister focuses on praising God, rather than commemorating the dead. There are no flowers and there is no eulogy. Nor is there any singing, as hymns are just read instead of sung.

All people are equal in Amish culture and hence no graves are laden with symbols of wealth from life or even symbols of good will for the afterlife. All coffins are made from simple pine and laid within equal plots with a gravestone listing the deceased’s name, birthday and age.

Parents bury their children in unmarked graves or mark their burial place with a small headstone flush with the ground. The mothers will wear black clothes for a year, while the fathers will wear plain white shirts.

Whilst this simple life may seem alien to us, the Amish are a community of great belief and faith. This can be seen in their conviction not to change from this, even for the death of a loved one.

Box’s Funeral Directors has over 150 years’ experience caring for the bereaved. We treat every situation individually and aim to provide you with a meaningful and memorable funeral, always ensuring that we listen to your particular needs.