Do Amish widowers shave off their beards?

November 18, 2007 7:05 PM

What is the facial hair protocol for a widowed Amish man?

Digging through Google hits hasn't produced the answer here. My understanding is that Amish males grow out their facial hair when they are married, so that a full beard (sans mustache) is the signal of a married man. But, what happens if his wife dies? Does he shave off the beard or let it remain?

posted by dorothy humbird to society & culture (2 answers total)

The Wikipedia page on beards confirms what I thought, FWIW, which is that once an Amish man is married he is never beardless after that.

This is also confirmed by the movie Witness, in which the boys grandfather, who has been widowed, still has his beard. I realize that that isn't exactly an authoritative source, but I remember reading somewhere that the makers of the movie were careful to be realistic about such things.
posted by cerebus19 at 7:52 PM on November 18, 2007

Amish live down the road from me. As far as I've noticed and asked, they keep the beard, because marriage is a pact under God. I don't know the protocol on remarrying, however.
posted by Loto at 9:26 PM on November 18, 2007