Old Order Mennonites - In My Own Backyard

Welcome to In My Own Backyard!

For those of you familiar with Canada, especially Ontario, you will be familiar with the multitude of various cultures which now call Ontario home. But, did you know that in a quiet little town just north of one of Ontario’s largest cities, Kitchener-Waterloo, there remains to this day a large congregation of Old Order Mennonites?

The Old Order Mennonite's still use work horses to help blow the fields — They grey one is an Old Order Mennonite Work Horse

Old Order Mennonites – A Bit of History

Old Order Mennonites are those Mennonites of Swiss German and North German heritage. Despite technological progress, they have maintained their simple life-style and do not have televisions, computers, and many still don’t drive vehicles. It will be easy for you to identify an Old Order Mennonite by his or her simple dress.

Old Order Mennonite Female Dress Code

The Old Order Mennonite women continue to wear dress modestly in a long ankle-length dress which is made of sturdy, plain material and an apron over their dress. Her long hair will traditionally be tied up in a bun with a bonnet covering her head.

Old Order Mennonite Male Dress Code

You will typically see the Old Order Mennonite men dressed in dark trousers, a plaid buttoned shirt and a straw hat.

Why Do the Old Order Mennnonite’s Dress This Way?

There are several reasons why the Old Mennonite’s dress the way that they do:

It distinguishes them from other religious groups. It is a badge of membership;
It is meant to show their modest ways;
It shows that at they are ready to work and the dress shows the woman’s place in the household.

The women belonging to the Old Order Menninites are still expected to wear dresses and bonnets

Old Order Mennonites dress the way they do in order to distinguish them from other religious groups. It's a badge of membership

Old Order Mennonites In My Own Backyard

The Old Order Mennonites in my neck of the woods immigrated to Ontario in the 1850’s from Pennsylvania and settled in the area where they still are today, although they have recently begun to expand into other areas of Ontario and Canada’s East Coast for the farmland.

The lifestyle and culture of the Old Order Mennonites, seeing them ride their horse and buggies as their primary means of transportation, watching them plow their fields with the horses, seeing the children playing or riding their bikes in their traditional clothing, and the beauty of their farms, has continued to fascinate to this day. In many ways, I envy them their simple lifestyle.

PRO TIP: Stop at the little hut at the end of their driveway to purchase some flowers or home-grown fruit and vegetables

The Old Order Mennonites have the best farms in Ontario — Old Order Mennonite Farm

If you are visiting in Ontario or have the urge to take a roadtrip, I urge you to visit St. Jacob’s , see if you can tell which farms are owned by an Old Order Mennonite family.

I’m off to see what else I can find In My Own Backyard. Until next week…….

Kelly xoxo