TIME-TRAVEL TO St. JACOBS

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 16^th 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”.