Maybe a very random observation, but I find it odd that their bonnets (which I assume they make by hand like the rest of their clothing) have those strings hanging down each side, presumably for the purpose of tying in a bow to secure it in place. Not one of them do though, and they all just leave the strings hanging there…..why not just leave those out when making them?
shareThey are necessary in times of high wind, supposedly. Medieval arming caps are made in the same manner and worn untied.
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Be kinder than necessary. J.M. Barrie
Interesting, thanks! I also found this:
Each Amish community has its own set of rules known as Ordnung, and this can lead to differences in the ways prayer caps are worn. Most often the cap is white and made of organza, a plain, sheer fabric, but in some communities young single women will wear black prayer caps when attending religious services. The style of a prayer cap and customs related to how it's worn also can be affected by the degree of orthodoxy of the community. Hawley reported that in communities where tradition is less stringent, women wear their prayer caps with strings tied tightly under the chin, but the caps themselves have less starch and form. In more orthodox communities, the strings may be left untied or the cap may not have strings at all, but the cap is heavily starched. The Jamesport community fell in the middle, and women there wore their caps with medium starch. Married women tied their cap strings in a bow, while young single women left them untied and played with them as a means of flirting.
How funny that the single Amish use the string to flirt, like us worldly women do with our hair.
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