Rumspringa (), also spelled or ( , from Pennsylvania German <!-- https://www.padutchdictionary.com/#q=rumschpringe --> ; compare Standard German ), is a rite of passage during adolescence, used in some Amish communities. The Amish, a subsect of the Anabaptist Christian movement, intentionally segregate themselves from other communities as a part of their faith. For Amish youth, the Rumspringa normally begins at age 16 and ends when a youth chooses either to be baptized in the Amish church or to leave the community. For Wenger Mennonites, Rumspringa occurs mostly between ages of 17 and 21.
Not all Amish use this term (it does not occur in John A. Hostetler's extended discussion of adolescence among the Amish), but in sects that do, Amish elders generally view it as a time for courtship and finding a spouse.<!-- please do not "correct" either the meaning or the pronunciation to standard German --> Dialects do not derive from standard languages, but as a cognate, this expression is closely related to the Standard German verb meaning 'to jump around or about'. The Standard German term is a compound word of the adverb (around, about) and the verb ('to jump'). However, in some southern German dialects, ( in Swabian) means 'to run'. This term/concept also is used as a separable verb, i.e., ('to jump around') / ('he jumps around').
In Pennsylvania German, the prefix is a contraction of – a development which is also all but general to spoken standard German. The infinitive (and gerund) form is standard in Pennsylvania German and other forms of general Upper German.
Popularized view
Amish adolescents may engage in rebellious behavior, resisting or defying parental norms. In many cultures, enforcement may be relaxed, and misbehavior tolerated or overlooked to a degree. A view of has emerged in popular culture that this divergence from custom is an accepted part of adolescence or a rite of passage for Amish youth.
Among the Amish, however, simply refers to adolescence. During that time a certain amount of misbehavior is unsurprising and is not severely condemned (for instance, by or shunning). Adults who have made a permanent and public commitment to the faith would be held to the higher standards of behavior defined in part by the Schleitheim and Dordrecht confessions. In a narrow sense, the young are not bound by the because they have not taken adult membership in the church. Amish adolescents do remain, however, under the strict authority of parents who are bound to , and there is no period when adolescents are formally released from these rules.
It is the period when a young person is considered to have reached maturity and is allowed to attend the Sunday night "singings," which are central to courtship among the Amish. According to Amish sources, a youth who attends one of these events before the age of 16 might be force-fed warm milk from a spoon, as a good-natured reminder to respect the social boundaries.
- Driving vehicles other than horse-drawn vehicles (for communities that eschew motor vehicles)
- Not attending home prayer
- Drinking and using other recreational drugs
Not all youth diverge from custom during this period; approximately half in the larger communities and the majority in smaller Amish communities remain within the norms of Amish dress or behavior during adolescence. ultimately choose to join the church. However, this proportion varies from community to community, and within a community between more and less acculturated Amish. For example, Swartzentruber Amish have a lower retention rate than Andy Weaver Amish (90% vs 97%; although most of Swartzentruber Amish do not allow teenagers to leave the community during rumspringa at will). This figure was significantly lower as recently as the 1950s. Leaving the Amish community is not a long-term trend, and was more of a problem during the early colonial years. During , the Amish youth in these large communities will join one of various groups ranging from the most rebellious to the least. These groups are not necessarily divided across traditional Amish church district boundaries, although they often are. In many smaller communities, Amish youth may have a much more restricted , and likewise may be less likely to partake in strong rebellious behavior, as they lack the anonymity of larger communities.
Wenger Mennonites youth go through a period of starting at age 17 and typically ending at marriage, a few years older than the Amish do. Since most of the youth get baptized when they are ages 16 to 19, they typically do not get into the type of serious offenses of the most "disorderly" of the Amish youth.