VOA慢速英语 华盛顿被子展尽显亚米西传统

　　This is when Amish groups began coming to the United States to escape religious oppression in Europe. The first Amish settlement in America was in Lancaster County in the eastern state of Pennsylvania. The Amish also settled in other areas of North America. Amish communities are known for their strong Christian beliefs. As part of these beliefs, many Amish people reject modern technologies such as cars and electricity in order to live simpler lives, often based on farming.

　　An Amish "Center Diamond" quilt that dates between 1920 and 1940. It was probably made in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

　　The thirty quilts in this exhibit represent works from three different Amish communities: Lancaster County and Mifflin County in Pennsylvania and the Midwestern states of Ohio and Indiana.

　　Each settlement is known for a special style of quilt. For example, Amish quilts from Lancaster County are often made up of larger pieces of cloth in very bright colors. The exhibit has several examples of the "Center Diamond" pattern quilt. One "Center Diamond" quilt has a deep blue diamond with a green border inside a red square on a purple background. The colors are so intense it is hard to believe this quilt is about eighty years old.