Random Surprising Rumspringa Facts About Amish Tradition Of Rumspringa (19 items)

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  (#1) How Long Does Rumspringa Last?

  There are differing reports on the actual length of rumspringa, with some reports saying it lasts one to two years, and others saying it lasts as long as an Amish teen chooses. Which, if true, means that it's possible for rumspringa to act as a kind of endless summer for some members of the Amish community.
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  (#2) Ain't No Party Like a Rumspringa Party

  Throughout Pennsylvania, rumspringa parties are notoriously crazy. According to a report from NBC, teens come from Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan to party in the rural wooded areas.

  A sheriff says that the sheer size of these parties is what makes them so wild. "Unfortunately, when we do have to respond to a large gathering, party, and it’s majority Amish, it’s huge. Anywhere from 200-300 kids."
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  (#3) When Does Rumspringa Happen?

  While the easiest rumspringa comparison is spring break, there isn't actually a specific time of the year when Amish teens let down their bonnets. Most Amish teens begin their rumpsringa at 16 years old, giving them enough life experience to somewhat function in normal society, while also providing enough time to lead a full life as a member of the community. 
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  (#4) Social Media Means a Crazier Rumspringa

  Believe it or not, even the Amish have moved into the 21st century. Thanks to Facebook and smartphones, teens are able to put together crazy rumspringa parties with a few keystrokes. They aren't just using social media to put together gnarly Amish hangs, the kids are also posting pictures of themselves partying on their buggies and wearing "English," or worldly, clothes. 
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  (#5) The Really Crazy Amish Teens Don't Wait for Rumspringa

  If you're Amish and you really want to rebel, you don't go off on a yearlong exploration of your faith, you just go wild while you're still on the farm. Some Amish teens sneak away after everyone goes to bed and have fun at "English" parties or even secretly stash beer, cigarettes, or a transistor radio in the barn.
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  (#6) Even the Amish Like to Haul Ass

  In May 2016, five Amish teenagers thought to be on rumpsringa were pulled over when Indiana state troopers caught them driving 110 mph in their minivan and tossing cans of beer out the window. When the state troopers searched the vehicle, they found a handle of whiskey and multiple cases of beer. 
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  (#7) The Amish Outlaws Are a Band That Formed on Rumspringa

  Some members of the Amish community aren't sure about what to do when they leave their farms, but not these four music loving guys. The members of the Amish Outlaws formed their band while on rumspringa in 2002 after deciding not to return to the Amish religion. 
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  (#8) Amish Teens Can't Wait for Rumspringa

  According to a teen who's been on rumspringa for two years, children in the Amish community are dying to take a break from their life in the fields. “From a very young age you look forward to this. You can’t wait to turn 16,” she explains. The teenager also describes a "band party" with hundreds of rumspringers in attendance. 
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  (#9) Amish Kids Love Beer as Much as Non-Amish Kids

  An NPR dissection of the Amish party ceremony continually notes how much beer the kids drink. Picture in your mind's eye, "A used-car-lot inventory of cars, trucks, buggies, bicycles, and motorcycles is already parked here. Iced coolers of beer are put out; Amish teenagers reach for bottles with both hands."

  With such a selection, the favorite is clear: "Beer is the liquid of choice, but there are also bottles of rum and vodka, used to spike soft drinks."
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  (#10) Some Kids Use Rumspringa for Formal Education

  Even though most reports focus on Amish teens going wild on rumspringa, a lot of youngsters use it as an opportunity for education. Traditionally, the Amish only go to school through eighth grade because they feel that young people should instead cultivate their basic work skills in order to make a living. Lena, an Amish teen, earned her GED while wearing jeans and a t-shirt under her dress and bonnet.
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  (#11) Rumspringa Is Meant to Make Teens Want to Stay in the Community

  Most of the world views rumspringa as an excuse for Amish teens to cut loose, but inside the community, it's seen as a way for people to explore their faith. Some Amish view rumspringa as a vaccination against the outside world, while others see it as a test. 

  "Rumspringa is, in my words, a test of faith, but not necessarily a test to be failed or passed," according to one Amish source. "Then again, I may feel that way (that it is not to be failed or passed) because in the opinion of most Amish folks, I would have failed that test, but my beliefs are still strong."
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  (#12) Parents Don't Want Their Kids to Go Nuts

  Contrary to popular belief, Amish parents don't tell their kids to leave home and go wild in the fields of Pennsylvania. But at the same time, parents don't want to impede on their children's free choice in the decision to become Amish. Amish parents might disapprove of their children's behaviors, but they rarely exercise authority to prevent some of those actions.
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  (#13) Most People Don't Come Back for the Right Reasons

  One of the main problems with growing up in such a strictly organized religion is that you're cut off from the rest of the world. The Amish people believe that anyone who isn't Amish will go to hell when they die, so most teens that leave the farm for rumspringa end up returning for the wrong reasons. 

  One Amish man said, "I think that most return not because of faith, but rather out of fear or guilt and, in my opinion, fear in not true faith."
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  (#14) Why Do People Return from Rumspringa?

  It's easy to think that Amish teens are immediately able to blend into the outside world once they leave for rumspringa, but a lot of them find it impossible to acclimate to the world outside of their farm. 

  "The modern world is too overwhelming for them," explains an Amish insider. "There is too much sensation, too much temptation. It is almost like when prisoners become 'institutionalized' and when they are released, all they want to do is get back in jail because they can't handle the freedom."
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  (#15) Boys Embrace Rumspringa More Than Girls

  According to a Portland State University study of rumspringa, boys are more likely to dress and act "English" while they're away from the farm. The boys wear common clothes, buy cars, and live outside of the community on their own. Most girls, on the other hand, usually stick to their traditional clothing, do not drive automobiles, and live with their families within the community.
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  (#16) It's Not a Big Deal in Some Communities

  According to an ex-Amish blogger, this whole rumspringa thing isn't that big of a deal to most folks. On their blog, they write that rumspringa should actually be a journey a self-discovery rather than a two-year-long, Coors Lite-fueled excuse to leave Pennsylvania. 
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  (#17) Some Amish Kids Don't Party That Hard

  A student at American University studying International Relations notes that he's never heard of any wild Amish parties happening near his house and has never been invited to one either. “It’s kind of a fantasized, romanticized process that people think, ‘Oh these people that don’t use electricity suddenly go into this stage where they can do whatever they want.'" According to him, rumspringa consists largely of kids venturing off into the woods to drink a six-pack of beer.
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  (#18) It Ends in Big Choices

  Unfortunately, rumspringa can't last forever, and if the teens decide to return to their families they either have to get married (officially ending rumspringa), or be officially baptized into the Amish faith. 
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  (#19) They Have to Adjust to Food

  An ex-Amish man who left his family after rumspringa and enrolled in Columbia University noted that when his brother (who's still in the family) came to visit him in New York City he barely ate anything because it was all so overwhelming.

  "The family would do home-cooked meals, and often the same meat and potatoes and bread. Beets," the former-Amish man explains. "There might be a few people who use a soy sauce or a barbeque sauce. There are very little fried foods, other than donuts, maybe." 
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  (#20) Teens Are Afraid of Dying While on Rumspringa

  In a theological technicality that probably helps keep teens away from dabbling in truly reckless behavior, dying on rumspringa means a one-way ticket to hell. In a strict religious culture, this can be a powerful incentive to return to the fold.
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  (#21) Most Teens Come Back to the Amish Faith

  It's romantic to believe that teens that leave on rumspringa, find their way in the world, and never return to their farms, but statistics show that more than 80% of rumspringers come back home after their time out in the city. 

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