If you’ve ever attended a Black wedding, you likely witnessed the couple “jump the broom” towards the end of the ceremony.
Many believe this practice dates back to slavery, while others argue it originated during the 1600s in the Ashanti kingdom in what is now Ghana.
Who’s right? Well, both of them actually.
Brooms apparently played a major role in Asante culture, and during marriages a broom was even symbolically waved over the couple’s heads - but it’s not clear that jumping over one was a common practice.
Enslaved Africans brought broom culture over during chattel slavery, and like many other things, it grew and transformed because of the specifics of enslaved people’s circumstances.
During slavery, vows exchanged between enslaved Black people were illegal and did not constitute an official marriage. For that reason, jumping the broom became a ritual intended to legitimize their marriages.
The ritual lost popularity after emancipation, but the novel and miniseries Roots introduced it to a new generation.
Some claim jumping the broom symbolizes “a leap of faith,” but that’s not necessarily true either!
Jumping the broom is actually just a way to connect with ancestors, join two families, and pay homage to African traditions.
Have you, or will you, jump the broom if you get married?