One had claimed that: "It must have disappeared before I was born, and I am seventy-three". Among southern Africans, who were largely not a part of the Atlantic slave trade, it represented the wife's commitment or willingness to clean the courtyard of the new home she had joined. [31] Marriage gave a couple rights over each other which conflicted with the enslavers' claims. In a 2020 episode of Married at First Sight, couple Amani and Woody jump the broom at the end of their wedding. [17], In Wales, Romani couples would get married by eloping, when they would "jump the broom," or jump over a branch of flowering common broom or a besom made of broom. Here’s How to Decide if a Wedding Tradition is Right for You, 9 Latin American Wedding Traditions Couples Need to Know, 6 Photographers Share the Best Traditions From Real Weddings, 7 Unique Wedding Venues in St. Louis for the Non-Traditional, Jumping The Broom: Meaning, History and Tradition. Bland. "Jumping the Broom," is celebrated on this date. It reclaims a tradition of how slaves were married in America.

The act symbolizes a new beginning and a sweeping away of the past, and can also signify the joining of two families or offer a respectful nod to family ancestors.

In 'The Story of My Life' (1897) a white author, IMDB;Homicide:Life on the street, Season 4 Episode 21, 1996, enslaved people in the Southern United States, International Players Anthem (I Choose You), "Married in Slavery Time: Jumping the Broom in Atlantic Perspective", "The Holy Land of Matrimony: The Complex LEgacy of the Bromstick Wedding in American History", "The Holy Land of Matrimony: The Complex Legacy of the Broomstick Wedding in American History", Happy is the Bride the Sun Shines on at Googlebooks, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jumping_the_broom&oldid=980350112, Marriage, unions and partnerships in Scotland, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 26 September 2020, at 01:20. [22] In southwest England, in Wales, and in the border areas between Scotland and England, "[while some] couples ... agreed to marry verbally, without exchanging legal contracts[,] .... [o]thers jumped over broomsticks placed across their thresholds to officialize their union and create new households", indicating that contractless weddings and jumping the broomstick were different kinds of marriage. "'Besom Wedding' in the Ceiriog Valley", Probert, R. (2005) Chinese Whispers and Welsh Weddings, 20. For the 2008 film, see, As an expression for "irregular marriage", "Cathnach's illustrated twopenny-sheets of the 1820s carried charming drawings of broomstick weddings", Thompson, T. W. "British Gipsy Marriage and Divorce Rites", quoted in, Norman Kolpas, Katie Kolpas "Practically Useless Information on Weddings" Thomas Nelson Inc, 2005 p30, The Times, Tuesday, 8 September 1789; pg. The practice did survive in some communities, and the phrase "jumping the broom" was synonymous with "getting married," even if the couple did not literally jump a broom. Its revival in 20th century African American culture is due to the novel and miniseries Roots (1976, 1977). [27], Enslavers were faced with a dilemma regarding committed relationships between enslaved people. With slavery over and superficial hints of racial integration allowed, African Americans could now have European-style marriages. In the 2016 film The Birth of a Nation, a couple getting betrothed is seen jumping a broom. Gwynn, Gwenith (W. Rhys Jones). And even couples who do not actually jump a broom when they get married, often refer to, or at least recognize, the phrase to be synonymous with getting married in the same way most Americans associate "tying the knot" with getting married. [24], Alan Dundes (1996) notes the unusual development of how "a custom which slaves were forced to observe by their white masters has been revived a century later by African Americans as a treasured tradition". If you want to learn more about the custom of broom-jumping before including it in your wedding, be sure to check out the wide range of pop culture references of the custom from past and present. Its revival in 20th century African American culture is due to the novel and miniseries Roots (1976, 1977). These same brooms were used by wives or servants to clean the courtyards of palaces or homes. After the big jump, the broom is usually saved as a memento (and never used for cleaning!). You and your partner should devote plenty of time to researching the practice, along with all of its history and implications, and be sure that the both of you, as well as your family and friends, are clear on why this ritual is being included in your wedding and what it means for all of you. Some believe the practice originated in the early 1700s in Wales, when broomstick weddings served as a Welsh marriage rite for Roma communities who were not permitted to marry in churches. But you may not be aware of the full history and meaning of this wedding tradition, which spans centuries and continents, has roots in the African diaspora and slavery, and today represents a reclamation of Black history. The significance of the broom to African American heritage and history originates in the West African country of Ghana. Volume I, Pg. This is an African American phrase and custom for marriage. [5], A 1774 usage in the Westminster Magazine also describes an elopement. It’s believed that in this practice, the broom cleansed the marriage ceremony of evil spirits and represented the couple’s commitment to caring for and maintaining their newly shared home (and, metaphorically, their marriage). Get our quarterly newsletter to stay up-to-date, plus all speech or video narrative bookings near you as they happen. 4; Issue 1251; col A. In the classic 1977 TV mini-series Roots, Kunta Kinte/"Toby" (played by John Amos as adult Kunta Kinte) had a marriage ceremony where he and Belle (played by Madge Sinclair) jumped the broom. "'Jumping the Broom': On the Origin and Meaning of an African American Wedding Custom". Jumping the broom. The jumping of the broom does not add up to taking a "leap of faith.". In the 21st century, many African and African American couples include jumping the broom at the end of their wedding ceremonies as a tribute to tradition. In some cases, the couple would both jump the broom, and whoever was observed as jumping the highest would be given the role of decision maker for the home. In this execution, the broom was placed at the threshold of a door, and the groom jumped first, followed by his bride. Once Blacks could have weddings with rings that were recognizable by anyone as a symbol of marriage, the broom ceremony wasn't required.