Shakers

The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing is a religious sect, also known as the Shakers, founded in the 18th century in England, having branched off from a Quaker community. They were known as "Shaking Quakers" because of their ecstatic behavior during worship services. In 1747, women assumed leadership roles within the sect, notably Jane Wardley and Mother Ann Lee. Shakers settled in colonial America, with initial settlements in New Lebanon, New York (called Mount Lebanon after 1861) and what is now Watervliet.

Shakers today are mostly known for their celibate and communal lifestyle, pacifism, and their model of equality of the sexes, which they institutionalized in their society in the 1780s. They are also known for their simple living, architecture, and furniture.

During the mid-19th century, an Era of Manifestations resulted in a period of dances, gift drawings and gift songs inspired by spiritual revelations. At its peak in the mid-19th century, there were 6,000 Shaker believers. By 1920, there were only 12 Shaker communities remaining in the United States. In the present day, there is only one active Shaker village, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, which is located in Maine. Their celibacy resulted in the thinning of the Shaker community, and consequently many of the other Shaker settlements are now village museums, like Hancock Shaker Village in Massachusetts.

Shaker (disambiguation)

Shaker may refer to:

Shakers may refer to:

See also

Shaker (instrument)

The word shaker describes a large number of percussive musical instruments used for creating rhythm in music.

They are called shaker because the method of creating the sound involves shaking them—moving them back and forth rather than striking them. Most may also be struck for a greater accent on certain beats. Shakers are often used in rock and other popular styles to provide the ride pattern along with or substituting for the ride cymbal.

Types of shaker

A shaker may comprise a container, partially full of small loose objects such as beads, which create the percussive sounds as they collide with each other, the inside surface, or other fixed objects inside the container – as in a Rainstick, Caxixi or Egg shaker A shaker is a woodland in the musical family.

See also