If you’ve seen the 2011 comedy drama, Jumping the Broom, starring Angela Bassett and Paula Patton, you’re likely to wonder where the tradition of jumping the broom comes from. Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase before, but you never quite knew exactly what it was. Well, not to worry.
Jumping the broom is a predominantly African American tradition in which the just-wed couple hops over a broomstick while holding hands. Many American couples choose to incorporate this tradition into their wedding celebrations, often after the wedding kiss.
For some couples today, incorporating the tradition is a way to acknowledge their history and culture. In fact, ‘jumping the broom’ is widely accepted as a part of the lexicon of African American culture. In addition, the custom serves to symbolise the sweeping away of the past to clear the path for a new start.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B59FYvlBZCm/
The broom itself can be bought at stores, already fully decorated. There are many online stores who cater to this need. Alternatively, couples have opted to decorate the broom themselves. In some cases, couples take a plain broom to the wedding ceremony and provide guests with ribbon on which to write their names. Guests are requested to tie the ribbon to the broom before the ceremony begins.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7k9L1tAYpS/
The ceremony dates back to the 1600s and is derived from Africa. Many have claimed that it also has roots in Celtic Culture.
18th century Europeans said that Ghana was an extremely clean place and they attributed this to the fact that brooms were made locally. For whatever reason, the broom’s symbolism found itself being incorporated into the wedding ceremony. According to the African American Registry, jumping the broom “symbolised the wife’s commitment or willingness to clean the courtyard of the new home she had joined”.
As a result of slave trade, the custom made its way to America. Slave marriages were not legally recognised by slave owners. The enslaved people thus used the tradition as a symbol of the beginning of their union as it was their only option for some sort of formal marriage.
Atlanta Black Star claims that “the ceremonial jumping of the broom served was an open declaration of settling down in a marriage relationship”.
The tradition has permeated through time so extensively that the phrase “jumping the broom” is equivalent to “tying the knot” or “getting hitched”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7dKDVDDpyP/
Image: Instagram /peterjonathanimages
The bridal march is a classic, but sometimes you want to be different. Opting for a unique, contemporary song to act as the backtrack for your walk down…
Over the years, many brides have forgone the traditional white wedding gown for alternatives. Popular trends have seen black and even multi-coloured dresses. One non-white dress colour we still adore is off-white in all its lovely variations. Cream, beige, ivory and champagne are all excellent substitutes if you’re not in the mood for crisp white. Here are some dazzling off-white dresses to inspire you.
Image: Pixabay
It’s been one week since Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters and Tim Tebow tied the knot, and they’re letting us in on their big day. Both shared a beautiful 5 minute…
Doctors told Chanelle Wimbish that she only had a 3% chance of ever walking again after she was hit by a speeding car in 2009. According to The Mirror, she sustained a T-6 spinal cord injury and was so severely injured that she was paralysed form the neck down with little hope of ever recovering.
However, this clinical research associate from College Park in the US, was never one to let life bring her down. “I prayed and read positive books and poems knowing that I couldn’t change what had happened but that I could learn to live my best life despite/with the injury,” she said.
When she began her rehabilitation process, her dad lived with her to help her out, but she was already living independently again by April 2010. So motivated and focussed was she, that doctors were stunned by her improvement. Eventually, she took up swimming and wheelchair racing, even trialling for the 2016 US Paralympic swim team.
Then, in 2014, she met her now-husband Brennan. When the two got engaged in 2019, Chanelle set herself the goal of walking down the aisle. When the day came, there she was, walking down the aisle toward her loved one with two crutches. “Walking down the aisle is by far the biggest achievement for me that I am so very proud of myself for the work I put in for those six months,” she said.
“No circumstance is as bad as you think it is, or as it seems. The mind is very powerful, so use it to transmit positivity in any situation to overcome.”
Image: Facebook
If you or your partner are into the more scary side of life, you may be wondering how to incorporate this into your wedding. You may think it’s…
What’s a bride without a beautiful bouquet? A well-picked bunch of flowers does wonders in completing your wedding look. Every bouquet is different, and needs to be tailored to the bride and the wedding.
A summer-inspired bridal bouquet is perfect for a hot December wedding. Think big, beautiful blooms bursting with colour and vibrancy. Whatever flower is in season at that time is ideal. Mixing and matching sizes, shapes and colours gives a sense of dynamism, like the flowers are just springing to action all on their own. Here are some bunches to inspire you.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7aCcChhT4C/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2uPXKBljc_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlxFL6gHjbv/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1_hEA9i8li/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0OxVLDBmHO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxPda6vjwur/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlTPg7wnEAR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsoImURHC1o/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Feature image: Unsplash