What is Jumping The Broom? Simply, it is a ceremony in which the bride and groom, either at the ceremony or at the reception, signify their entrance into a new life and their creation of a new family by symbolically "sweeping away" their former single lives, former problems and concerns, and stepping over the broom to enter upon a new adventure as husband and wife.
The straws of the broom represent FAMILY; the handle represents THE ALMIGHTY...it is a ceremony dating back to the 1600s derived from Africa. Dating back to slave days, jumping the broom together has been part of weddings for couples who want to honor that tradition.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, after the kiss and presentation of the couple to their guests, one of the attendants produces the broom or a special person from the audience brings the broom and places it in the path of the wedding couple. They then jump over the broom on their way to the recessional.
A highlight of this ceremony is the recognition of the spiritual presence of ancestors. The broom used in the wedding ceremony has often been a beautifully hand made broom containing objects meaningful to the couple that they then keep as a momento of their wedding day.
