| Native name | Rumshpringa |
|---|---|
| Time | Youths: Starting at 16 years old, in some groups at 17 (Wenger Mennonites) |
| Type | Coming-of-age ceremony |
| Theme | Entering into a more formalized social world during adolescence; finding a marriage partner.[1] |
Rumspringa (Pennsylvania German pronunciation: [ˈrʊmˌʃprɪŋə]),[2] also spelled Rumschpringe or Rumshpringa (lit. 'running around',[3] from Pennsylvania German rumschpringe 'to run around; to gad; to be wild';[4] compare Standard German herum-, rumspringen 'to jump around'), is a rite of passage during adolescence, used in some Amish communities. The Amish, a subsect of the Anabaptist Christian movement, intentionally segregate themselves from other communities as a part of their faith. For Amish youth, the Rumspringa normally begins at age 16 and ends when a youth chooses either to be baptized in the Amish church or to leave the community.[5]: 10–11 For Wenger Mennonites, Rumspringa occurs mostly between ages of 17 and 21.[6]: 169–173, 244
Not all Amish use this term (it does not occur in John A. Hostetler's extended discussion of adolescence among the Amish), but in sects that do, Amish elders generally view it as a time for courtship and finding a spouse.[5]: 14 A popular view exists by which the period is institutionalized as a rite of passage, and the usual behavioral restrictions are relaxed, so that Amish youth can acquire some experience and knowledge of the non-Amish world.
- ^ "What is Rumspringa?" amishamerica.com. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ Amish: World's Squarest Teenagers. Channel 4. 2010. Event occurs at 0:26. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ Stevick, Richard A. (2014). Growing up Amish: the Rumspringa years (Second ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-4214-1372-3. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Lambert, Marcus Bachman (1924). A Dictionary of the Non-English Words of the Pennsylvania-German Dialect. Pennsylvania-German Society.
- ^ a b Shachtman, Tom (2006). Rumspringa: To Be or Not to Be Amish. New York: North Point Press. ISBN 978-0865476875.
- ^ Kraybill, Donald B.; Hurd, James P. (2006). Horse-and-Buggy Mennonites: Hoofbeats of humility in a postmodern world. Penn State Press. ISBN 0271028661.