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[Hitched] To Jump or Not?
Kiran Jonnalagadda
Jumping the broom is an old tradition symbolizing the union between two people.
By Shameka Hayes-Hamilton
February 8, 2012
If you haven't seen the movie, you've probably heard of it. Tyler Perry's comedy, "Jumping the Broom," tells of two families of different social and economic backgrounds united for a wedding. Among other disagreements, one of the key arguments is whether the couple will jump the broom, a practice where the bride and groom literally jump over a usually decorated broom while holding hands, after the ceremony. The groom's family says it's a tradition, passed down for generations, while the bride's wealthier family says the practice is outdated and only serves as a reminder of slavery.
The family of the film's bride had it about right. While jumping the broom is a well-known practice in the African American community, it does have a stigma from slavery days.
There is some debate about the origin of the practice of couples jumping the broom. In Africa, Europe and the United States, couples practice the custom that dates back as far as the 1700s to the Asante people of Ghana. In the West African Asante custom, the broom held spiritual meaning, signifying sweeping away past wrongs or removing evil spirits. It also served to show the bride's willingness to clean the courtyard of the new home she joined. In Southwest England, Wales and in border areas between Scotland and England, some couples verbally agreed to marry without exchanging legal contracts. Others jumped the broom at their threshold to make their union "official" and create new households.
In the African American community, the custom has mixed reviews. During the days of slavery, marriage between slaves was not legally recognized because marriage was a civil contract, and the country didn't recognize slaves as citizens. Jumping the broom, always done before witnesses, served as an open declaration of settling down.
After the Civil War, former slaves were legally recognized as citizens and were able to be married, so the practice was largely abandoned. A small number of African Americans continue to practice the custom, but the majority rejects it because it is a reminder of slavery.
Ultimately, like any other wedding tradition, jumping the broom should not become a source for conflict during the wedding-planning stage. Every couple is different. If you find the practice is outdated, do not feel forced or obligated to use it.
posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/08/12 at 03:16 PM. [printer version] Share |
COMMENTS
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May 24, 2012 | 09:34 PMBryant Signs Voter ID Bill
golden eagle: @notmuch, here are some facts about voter fraud, straight from the Brennan Center's website: Fraud by individual voters is both irrational and extremely rare. Most citizens who ...
May 24, 2012 | 07:14 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
notmuch: Oh, I have hundreds of those right-wing sites, and I couldn't say which ones are more "partisan"--they all include those pesky facts. Yes, when dead voters and multiple voters under ...
May 24, 2012 | 07:11 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
justjess: @ golden eagle. Thanks for the spell check. I didn't just spell assassination wrong ONE time, I did it over and over. LOL! You are right on the mark; I was trying to use the word ...
May 24, 2012 | 06:46 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
golden eagle: I don't think you could've found a more partisan right-wing site than the Daily Caller. The fact of the matter is that the right is using this issue not as a means of improving ...
May 24, 2012 | 06:10 PM
[Dish] Cobby Williams, Young Gun
trusip: WOW! was this a real interview or a joke?
May 24, 2012 | 05:00 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
notmuch: I don't think you could have found a more liberal example of a "non-partisan" site, but even so, their evidence seems to consist of 250 carefully chosen instances in one area of ...
May 24, 2012 | 04:48 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
golden eagle: Rather than using ideological websites to support your argument, I'll use the non-partisan Brennan Center for Justice. Really good site.
May 24, 2012 | 04:30 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
notmuch: I might be missing something here, but I am a little confused by Golden Eagle's points: "the fact is that voter fraud is extremely rare"--so it is of no consequence that some ...
May 24, 2012 | 11:26 AM
Nick Hanauer's 'Controversial' TED Talk -- Tax the Rich?
RobbieR: TED is an elite academic conference.
May 24, 2012 | 10:18 AM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
DonnaLadd: No, Darryl, no one blocked you. Stop being paranoid. We just typically open comments in moderation during non-office hours. To me, a bozo isn't someone who disagrees with me. It's ...
May 24, 2012 | 06:18 AM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
Darryl: That's funny that you blocked my last comment...
May 24, 2012 | 05:31 AM
Nick Hanauer's 'Controversial' TED Talk -- Tax the Rich?
Renaldo Bryant: So true. This is why critical and analytical thinking are so important to citizens in a democracy. The rich have the power to shape perception ...
May 23, 2012 | 05:24 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
Darryl: justjess, you stated "Racism and discriminatory practices continue." What objective data do you have to support this? Calling someone unqualified is a subjective interpretation of ...
May 23, 2012 | 01:37 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
golden eagle: Wow, my English was bad on the previous post. You know how it is on these iPhones.
May 23, 2012 | 12:30 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
golden eagle: @Jess, I think the word you're looking for is "assassination". @Darryl, do we really know that the majority of MS'ians wanted this, when you consider that this was a ...
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