“1, 2, 3…jump!”
1. If you’ve ever attended a black wedding, you may have seen the couple “jump the broom.”
Peterson Design & Photography / Via peterson-photography.blogspot.com
2. Though historians disagree on the exact roots of this tradition, many believe it was part of African culture before becoming part of African-American slave culture.
Cherise Richards Photography / Via cheriserichardsphotography.com
3. According to the African-American Registry, the broom as a wedding symbol originated in Ghana.
Miki Vargas mikivargasphotography.com / Via munaluchibridal.com
4. It “symbolized sweeping away past wrongs or removing evil spirits.”
LeahAndMark / Via leahandmark.com
5. At weddings, the broom was often waved over the heads of the couple, and they sometimes jumped over it at the end of the ceremony.
Mozingo Photography mozingophotography.com / Via munaluchibridal.com
6. The ritual continued in the American South during slavery.
Amber Knowles theamberstudio.com / Via munaluchibridal.com
7. Enslaved people were often not permitted to marry.
Bri McDaniel Photography / Via brimcdanielphotography.com
8. According to the book Life in Black and White: Family and Community in the Slave South, when they did marry, they had informal weddings.
Saab Weddings / Via saabweddings.com
9. Jumping over a broom was a way to symbolically represent their union.
Diana P. Lang Photography / Via dianaplangphotography.com
10. Brenda E. Stevenson writes that it was one way enslaved people created new rituals.
Bernard Hamilton yourendlessmemories.com / Via munaluchibridal.com
11. Even if their marriage wasn’t recognized by whites, it was a way for black people to legitimize their meaningful relationships.
Helene Cornell, broom made by b3events.com / Via photographybyhelene.com
12. For modern couples, jumping the broom represents great joy and at the same time is a reminder of a painful past.
Kim Lind Photography kimlindphotography.com / Via stylemepretty.com
14. Or a beautifully decorated one.
James Rubio Photography jamesrubiophotography.com / Via munaluchibridal.com
16. Or just buy one on Etsy.
we are for each other weareforeachother.com / Via thebridescafe.com
17. And many couples hang the broom in their home after the wedding.
Chad Pennington, Sobitart Photography / Via sobitartphotography.com
18. Jumping the broom marks the beginning of making a home together.
Next Exit Photography nextexitphotography.com / Via ruffledblog.com
19. It symbolizes the sweeping away of the old and the welcoming of the new.
20. And makes way for all of the good things to come in their life together.
2nd2Nunn Photography / Via 2nd2nunnphotography.com
21. It’s also a request for their community’s support of their marriage.
Esther Bernal estherbernalphotography.com / Via freedomtomarry.org
22. At the end of the ceremony, the officiant can invite all the wedding guests to count down…
K van D Photography / Via kvandphotography.com
23. “One, two, three…”
Katherine O’Brien Photography katherineobrien.com / Via apracticalwedding.com
Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelwmiller/couples-who-jumped-the-broom
