Wedding brooms

In times of slavery in this country, enslaved African Couples were denied all rights, including the right to be formally married and live together. Because slaves could not legally marry, they created their own rituals to honor their unions. So to make a public declaration of their love and commitment, a man and woman would literally jump over a broom into matrimony.

The jumping of the broom is a symbol of sweeping away of the old and welcoming the new, or a symbol of a new beginning. Some couples today are choosing to include this ceremony in their own wedding.

In a ceremony dating back to the 1600s derived from Africa, the straws of the broom represent family and handle represents the almighty.