| Forbidden by law to marry, slaves in America,
created the tradition known as jumping the broom. This custom began as the
symbolic jumping the doorway, or threshold from a carefree single life into
the responsibilities of domestic life and a future together and probably
evolved from such groups Kgatla people of southern Africa. As tradition
had it the bride, on her wedding day would help the other women in the
family sweep their courtyard clean. The broom itself is a symbol of the
beginning of homemaking and an acknowledgment of rite of passage and jumping
the broom is a leap into adulthood and matrimony.
Tying the Knot means that the couple is actually bound together at the
wrists during the ceremony, linking them together symbolically.
The bride, as a symbol of modesty, will hide her face behind a veil of
braided hair.
As an offer to the gods to join in the celebration, wine is poured onto
the ground.
Click
here for more wedding traditions from around the world |
