Brooms!

Oh, wow! I did not make a broom from scratch. I bought a broom and she added the ribbon and flowers. Making a broom from scratch sounds really hard!

I've never heard of this. Can you explain the tradition/ what you do with it ?

Melinda I hadn't either until I started looking at African American wedding traditions and asking FH what he wanted to incorporate. I have not done the amount of research I want to on it, but from what I do know... it was a tradition used in Africa as a part of wedding ceremonies. When slaves were brought to the US most slave owners forced them to give up the majority of there traditions. However, they saw broom jumping as harmless and let them keep it. Slave marriages had no legal recognition at that time, so, when slaves wanted to marry, they took a broom and jumped it in front of the other slaves to signify that they were committing to marriage. Today it is a marriage tradition that goes to honor African Americans ancestors and traditions. Commonly you hang the broom in your house to remember your commitment after the wedding.

I purchased mine from an Etsy vendor. In addition to the tradition I wanted to incorporate it as a symbol to sweeping the past and starting a new beginning for us.

If I got any of that wrong, please let me know! I am about ti wrote something up for our pastor to read for our guests who don't knoe about it (AKA my family).

I think it's very nice!

Jumping the Broom History

This is a ceremony dating back to the 1600s and derived from Africa. Dating back to slave days, jumping the broom together has been part of weddings for couples who want to honor that tradition. It also has roots in the Celtic culture and including but not limited to Welsh, Celtics, Druids, and Gypsies and some aboriginal or shamanistic cultures.

Some couples choose to incorporate it into traditional and non-traditional ceremonies. Broom jumping is a brief ceremony usually within the wedding ceremony toward the end. The jumping of the broom is symbolic of binding a couple in marriage and also can be used to symbolize fertility and prosperity of the couple.

Ceremonial Broom

The "Jumping the Broom" is a ceremony in which the bride and groom, either at the ceremony or at the reception, signify their entrance into a new life and their creation of a new family by symbolically "sweeping away" their former single lives, former problems and concerns, and jumping over the broom to enter upon a new adventure as wife and husband.

Jumping the broom or in some cases jumping over an imaginary line is an African ritual, or tradition still being practiced in some parts of West Africa. Jumping the broom is not associated with slavery. Enslaved Africans, as an affirmation of their cultural heritage practiced it during slavery in North America.

This "leap" into a new life (marriage as wife and husband) is performed in the presence of families and friends. You can be as creative as you want when planning for this special ceremony.

The broom has both symbolic and spiritual importance in the African culture. The ritual itself was created by our ancestors during slavery. Because slaves could not legally marry, they created their own rituals to honor their unions. Some say broom jumping comes from an African tribal marriage ritual of placing sticks on the ground representing the couple's new home.

The straws of the broom represent family; the handle represents the Almighty; the ribbon represents the tie that binds the couple together.

A fully decorated broom can be purchased at ethnic stores, online, or a regular household broom will suffice. If you decide to use your own broom and decorate it yourself, be sure it coordinates with your wedding colors. Using your own broom can also be a great bonding activity for the bridesmaids, perhaps the night, or week before the wedding.

Another idea is to have a basket full of colorful ribbon pieces at the wedding or reception and allow guests to tie ribbons around the broom before the ceremony begins. This allows the audience to participate, which is in keeping with the African tradition of community involvement.

Chose a time before the ceremony when each guest can write their name or initials on a ribbon and tie their ribbon on the wedding broom. When you jump the broom you'll be jumping with the good wishes and prayers of all of your guest. It also allows you to have a wonderful keepsake after your special day, remembering those that were there to witness it.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, after the kiss and presentation of the couple to their guests, one of the attendants produces the broom or a special person from the audience brings the broom and places it in the path of the wedding couple. They then jump over the broom on their way to the recessional.

The broom used in the wedding ceremony has often been a beautifully hand made broom containing objects meaningful to the couple that they then keep as a momento of their wedding day and to grace the newlyweds hearth or hallway.

Couples celebrate this rich cultural heritage, irrespective of race, religion, and nationality. The most important thing is it's significance;

Honoring and respect of your ancestors, their legacy, and your rich family heritage.

Coming together of both families, and commitment to each other as wife and husband.

It represents strength, love, togetherness, loyalty, and respect which is essential for a successful marriage.

This ceremony can also be performed at an anniversary or a renewing of vows ceremony.

I made our broom. This was my Pintrest inspiration. I also made my BM brooch bouquets.

@KitandKaboodle, thank you! That is a lot more information then I was aware of. If you don't mind, if you had to condense it to a paragraph for your pastor to read, what would you write? I need to send him like statement to read for my family.

Your broom is lovely!

You are making me want to go buy a bunch of ribbon at the last minute, LOL (my wedding is in 7 days!)

I was thinking of jumping the broom but since we are having a beach ceremony, that's out. I saw an idea where the people attending your wedding can sign pieces of ribbon that are tied around the broom as well to signify their blessings for your union.

This is what we had on our website:

"Jumping the Broom is a tradition in which the bride and groom signify their entrance into their new life as husband and wife and the creation of their family by symbolically "sweeping away" their former single life, concerns and problems and entering their new life together "

Most people do it at the end of the ceremony, but you can, as we did, do it when you enter your reception.

Thank you! I may use portions of that if you don't mind!

Interesting Thanks guys for explaining. I love learning about other traditions and culture especially when it's wedding related. OP your broom is beautiful by the way!