St Jacobs is
a popular tourist destination eighty miles from the Toronto city in Canada. I
had the opportunity to visit this uniquely beautiful village last year. The
moment I arrived at St. Jacobs, I was struck by its old world charm and serenity.
The main
landmarks of the village include a large flea market that displays handicrafts
and antiques, and a Farmers’ Market that sells varieties of fresh fruit,
vegetables and other food items including cheese, bread and Maple syrup etc.
But, what is
so special about this sleepy village that makes it an attractive place for
tourists coming from all over the world? It is the Mennonite people, who live
there, making it a unique and interesting place.
The Mennonite
people arrived from Pennsylvania in USA, by trekking and using their
horse-drawn wagons in the early 1800 and settled in the village of St. Jacobs.
It was one of the first Mennonite settlements in Canada. Many “Old-order” Mennonite farmers, who still
follow the religious beliefs, customs and lifestyle of their 18th century
ancestors, live in and around this village.
Anabaptist
tradition
Mennonites
are protestant Christians with roots in the “Anabaptist” movement. Anabaptists primarily differ from other
Christian denominations in the case of “infant baptism”. Anabaptists rejected "infant
baptism" since they believed that those who receive baptism must be able
to make their own confessions of Christian faith.
Anabaptist
theology gained acceptance during the 16th century and sprouted in
Switzerland, Germany and other European countries. They baptised adults exactly in the same way
described in the New Testament, by immersing fully in water. The Christian Church
could not tolerate this movement that defied the existing Christian belief. During
that period, the rejection of infant baptism and rebaptism of adults were
considered to be crime, punishable by death in the Christian states of
Europe. Religious historians estimate more than 50,000 Anabaptists were killed
in the sixteenth century Europe. This exceeded the number of early Christians
killed by the Romans during 300 years of persecutions.
Mennonites
group was one of the several denominations of Anabaptist protestant Christians.
They were followers of their religious leader called Menno Simons and were
named after him. Menno Simons (1496-1561) was originally a Roman Catholic
priest later reformed as an Anabaptist Protestant. A large number of Mennonites,
who also had undergone persecution, were driven out of Europe and had migrated to North America.
Old-order
Mennonites
Mennonites
settled in St. Jacobs are a branch of the original Mennonite church, called “old-order
Mennonites”. They are unique in many ways. Unlike other Mennonite people, the
old-order Mennonites form an exclusive tight-knit community. They had always
been living in isolation without participating in the societal activities happening
around them and restricting interaction only among themselves.
They avoid
all technologies and practice a lifestyle without any element of modern
technology. The old-order Mennonites are also called “Horse and Buggy Mennonites”.
The horse-drawn buggies are the main form of transportation for them. They do
not have any automobiles. They lead a very restrictive lifestyle.
From very early
age, the children help their parents in their everyday chores, which include
the regular household duties, feeding the chickens, milking the goats, and working
in the family organic farm etc. Mennonites basically are a farming community.
The children
have no television, radio, computers or any other electronic gadgets. They play
simple old-style outdoor games including ball games and board games such as
chess. (Many Old-order Mennonite homes
do not even have electricity)
Girls wear
hair in braids, assisted by mother or sister. Boys never go to a barber. They
get their haircuts from parents. Both
grown-ups and children wear old-fashioned plain home-made dress. They do not
wear jeans or T-shirts. They never go to see any movies or public sporting events. But they are
fun loving and indulge in entertainments including singing and playing with
other children of the community. They enjoy listening to stories told by their
grandparents. All children, even teenagers, go to bed by 8 at night. They live
in a very peaceful environment protected from violence depicted in modern news
media and movies.
The children
go to the private school inside their own community that has only up to eighth
grade. They study English in the school, whereas, at home they speak only a
distinct dialect of German, which they call “Pennsylvania Dutch”. The schools
follow own curriculum with emphasis on language, arts and mathematics. They
leave their schools at the age of 14 and then start getting involved in the
work of their fathers and mothers. Their real-life education starts in parallel
with working.
There is no
western-style system of dating and courtship among young men and women. They
get to know each other during the social gatherings such as Sundays in common
place of worship. Later they resort to exchange of letters to understand each
other. They also meet at the home of the young woman. Marriage is also a simple
ceremony. Divorce is unheard of in the community.
They follow a
simple life. They do not use any jewellery or make-up. They live strictly
according to the scriptures. They act their beliefs rather than verbalize and
debate them. As a community, they help
each other during emergency situations. They are a law abiding community and
pay their taxes to the government. But they don’t accept any welfare measures
such as “social security” from the government. The old-order Mennonite
community still remains as a well-functioning stable social system.
Visit
to St. Jacobs
I visited
that village with my friend and his wife who were living in Toronto. We drove
from Toronto to St. Jacobs on a Saturday afternoon. By the time we reached
there the Farmers Market was in full swing.
We bought some organically grown fruits and a few bottles of Maple
Syrup. We bought some bread also. Mennonites are talented bakers.
Later we
visited an information centre called “The Mennonite Story”. In fact I could
gather a lot of information and a fascinating insight into one of the most secluded
communities of modern world, only after visiting that centre. After that we
had a drive through the residential and farming area of the Mennonite
settlement. Before starting our drive, we were advised that the Mennonite
people do not use cameras. They believe that taking pictures will lead to
“pride”, which is considered a sin. They are not comfortable with anybody
taking their pictures. Visitors are advised to ask their permission before
taking any pictures.
We could see
huge residential buildings and tall barns where they store their grains and use
them to house the livestock of the farm. We could see people wearing full-length
plain home-made dresses and working on their farms. Once in a while we had
encountered people travelling in their slow moving horse-buggies. The atmosphere was
quite serene and peaceful. Nothing was happening there in a hurry.
It seemed as
though the time stands still in Mennonite country.
While driving
back from St. Jacobs, I almost felt envy of those gentle and peace loving group
of people. When we reached Waterloo, the nearest city from St. Jacobs, I
thought I am “Back to the present” after a “Time Travel”.
