Over the Broom

My fiancé and I decided early on that we wanted to incorporate some African/African American traditions in our wedding. We immediately decided then, that we had to "jump the broom". We were fortunate to find the company Jump the Broom Eliza! based in Atlanta, GA. After speaking with the broom maker, she considered our colour scheme, style, what we would like added to the broom and for only $45 we got the perfect sweeper.

From our little research and reading, jumping the brooms means a lot to a variety of Africans from the Diaspora. To some it means the bride's willingness to clean the new home she will be joining. I've even read that the bride as a symbol of "commitment" cleans the groom's parent’s yard with the broom. Needless to say, that symbolism I'm not sure I'm ready to take hold of in 2008. For some people it is a reminder of the things our ancestors did during slavery to symbolise their unions as some were not permitted to get married.

For the two of us, it will be our symbol of honouring our ancestors and their struggle as we in 2008 can do so many things they weren't permitted to do in those tumultuous days. For our newly formed family, it will symbolise our determination to remember our past and build traditions and heirlooms. We plan to keep our broom and hand it down to our children, for them to jump the broom and pass it down to their children.

After all, isn't that how traditions are formed? Here's a look at our broom courtesy of Gwen at Jump the Broom Eliza!