Fancy Dutch

Fancy Dutch

The term Fancy Dutch or Gay Dutch refers to the Pennsylvania Germans who belonged to the Reformed and Lutheran churches. They, unlike the Amish, Dunkards and the Mennonites who were considered sectarians, did not wear plain clothing, nor did they refuse to fight in wars. Many popularly-associated characteristics of Pennsylvania Dutch culture, including speilwork, hex signs, and other aspects of Pennsylvania Dutch art, music, and folklore, are derived from the Fancy Dutch. The tourism industry and mainstream media often erroneously attribute such contributions to the more conservative Plain Dutch, though they would reject these wordly aspects of their more superstitious Fancy counterparts.

The Fancy Dutch far outnumbered the sectarians among the Pennsylvania Dutch. Today however, most Pennsylvania German speakers are members of the plainer sects, the Fancy Dutch having been mostly assimilated. While the Plain Dutch regions centered around Holmes County, Ohio and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the Fancy Dutch lived in the countryside around Reading, Allentown, York and Lebanon.

ee also

*Plain people


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Fancy — In biology:* Fancy (animal breeding), hobby involving the appreciation, promotion and/or breeding of animals * Fancy mouse, domesticated version of the common or house mouse * Fancy rat, domesticated breed of the Brown Rat or of the Black Rat *… …   Wikipedia

  • Dutch Golden Age painting — Dutch Masters redirects here. For the cigar, see Dutch Masters (cigar). Johannes Vermeer, The Milkmaid (1658–1660) Dutch Golden Age painting is the painting of the Dutch Golden Age, a period in Dutch history generally spanning the 17th century,[ …   Wikipedia

  • Dutch Renaissance and Golden Age literature — is the literature written in the Dutch language in the Low Countries from around 1550 to around 1700. This period saw great political and religious changes as the Reformation spread across Northern and Western Europe and the Netherlands fought… …   Wikipedia

  • Dutch rabbit — The Dutch rabbit, easily identifiable by its characteristic colour pattern, was once the most popular of all rabbit breeds. However, after dwarf rabbits were developed, the popularity of the Dutch rabbit dwindled. Nevertheless, the Dutch rabbit… …   Wikipedia

  • Old Dutch Capuchine — Conservation Status Common Country of origin Netherlands …   Wikipedia

  • Old Dutch Tumbler — Conservation Status Common Country of origin Netherlands …   Wikipedia

  • Double Dutch (jump rope) — Children playing Double Dutch in Buenos Aires Double dutch is a game in which two long jump ropes turning in opposite directions are jumped by one or more players jumping simultaneously. While double dutch began in the inner cities of America, it …   Wikipedia

  • Pennsylvania Dutch Country — refers to an area of southeastern Pennsylvania that by the American Revolution had a high percentage of Lutheran, German Reformed, Moravian, Amish, Mennonite and other German sectarian inhabitants and where the Deitsch language was historically… …   Wikipedia

  • History of Double Dutch — Double Dutch is a rope skipping exercise or game played when two ropes are turned in a crisscross manner by two turners and one or more players jump over simultaneously. In the 1800s, it was played mostly by boys. However, things changed by the… …   Wikipedia

  • Young Dutch Sam — Fiche d’identité Nom complet Samuel Evans Surnom The Spoilt Child of the Fancy Nationalité …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”