Wedding Customs & Traditions Forum

Jumping the broom... can we do it?

Even though it isn't in our culture? I know it is largely an african-american practiced tradition, and we have no african-american roots but it also turns out it has european, celtic, and wiccan root too...

The biggest part is what it symbolizes, and the "sweeping away of the old or past" is a big thing for us.

Thoughts? Opinions?
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Re: Jumping the broom... can we do it?

  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_customs-traditions_jumping-the-broom-can-we-do-it?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:36Discussion:fe2c5aeb-1315-4e82-b1d9-1fa53b92de3dPost:2abf2fed-3abc-4382-896b-ea20f7624414">Re: Jumping the broom... can we do it?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I mean, I suppose you can do it ... but I'll admit, I would think it's wierd to see the broom-jumping tradition at a wedding where the bride and groom were not African-American.
    Posted by cfaszews25[/QUOTE]

    Well actually turns out it isn't originally an african-american practice, it's pagan... but yeah I see what your saying, that was my worry because now a day (at least in the US) everyone immediately associates it with an african-american tradtion, what if we added a small history in our wedding programs? And include it's signifigance to us?
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  • I think if you do it, you should explain the significance in your programs and relate it's importance to you as a couple.   If I saw it with no explanation, I would find it odd, but if there was an explanation then I would get it.  


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  • Eh.....I wouldn't.  Just as I wouldn't smash the glass if you aren't Jewish, I wouldn't borrow from the Pagan/African American tradition if you aren't, well, Pagan or black.   It just seems disrespectful to me (even if that's unfair) and it probably would to other guests.
  • Are you wiccan?  
  • I know it's technically pagan, but in most American traditions, and as most Americans see it, it's a part of African-American wedding tradition, developed and practiced in a time when they were denied legal marriage, as well as pretty much every other right you can possibly imagine. I would find it REALLY disrespectful if I saw it done at a wedding not from that culture.

    Why not do something else that represents moving on from the past? There have to be other ceremonies that don't have strong cultural ties.
  • I admit I would probably find it culturally exploitative and borderline offensive if you were neither black nor pagan.  FWIW, I've only been to one Wiccan wedding, and it was a few years ago so my memory my be foggy, but my recollection of the broom jumping ceremony is that it involved a lot more than just jumping over the broom- there was jumping over the broom, but the couple also jumped over a sword, and maybe something else, too, and it all symbolized different things.  It wasn't at all like the sort of jumping over a broom you see in African-American weddings.  (I mean, it was still essentially jumping over a broom, but the context was completely different.)

  • All this "don't borrow from other cultures that aren't yours" advice is nonsense, in my opinion.  Plenty of our "American Traditions" come from combined elements from different cultures/religions and the same goes for weddings.   A wedding is just a way of officially declaring and celebrating two people's everlasting love and commitment.  There is nothing wrong with you adapting different cultural elements to make a ceremony that is your own.  These days people are doing all kinds of things to personalize their wedding. If you find a particular tradition that you feel especially speaks to you in the way that it symbolizes the making of that commitment and expressing your love for one another, go for it.  Though I would agree that jumping the broom if you aren't black might be somewhat demeaning, as that historical aspect of it doesn't have any real significance to you, but if you want to do it then I would do some research into how to make the pagan element a little clearer (assuming that historically speaking, the pagan roots of it are what you are intending to identify with). Like the previous post where she mentioned there was a sword, etc. Maybe also don't refer to it as "jumping the broom".  Having an explanation in the program is a good idea.  You don't need to be Pagan to include pagan aspects into your wedding. It's YOUR wedding, do what is right for you. 
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_customs-traditions_jumping-the-broom-can-we-do-it?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:36Discussion:fe2c5aeb-1315-4e82-b1d9-1fa53b92de3dPost:386f3038-5ed1-4708-827f-bdaf3167e6f0">Re: Jumping the broom... can we do it?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I am NOT a fan of borrowing practices of other religions just because you think they're cool, so I wouldn't do it.  I'm not really sure why you thought it was problematic since you aren't African American, but now you're okay doing it if you aren't (I'm assuming) Pagan?
    Posted by StageManager14[/QUOTE]

    <div>All of that.</div><div>
    </div><div>[QUOTE]I know it's technically pagan, but in most American traditions, and as <strong>most Americans see it, it's a part of African-American wedding tradition, developed and practiced in a time when they were denied legal marriage, as well as pretty much every other right you can possibly imagine. I would find it REALLY disrespectful if I saw it done at a wedding not from that culture</strong>. Why not do something else that represents moving on from the past? There have to be other ceremonies that don't have strong cultural ties.
    Posted by Gabrielle76[/QUOTE]</div><div>
    </div><div>For especially this reason. </div><div>
    </div><div>I know about the Pagan heritage, and, if OP were Pagan I'd assume that they would know about how Pagans do it and how it is different from the AA tradition as PP stated. If you wanted to use your heritage in other ways, like Stage did, I think that sounds great. But, to use something that is so loaded just because you think it looks cool would earn some serious side-eyes from me. It's not always about where a tradition comes from, sometimes its about the meaning it has taken on over the centuries. Being respectful is never a bad thing. </div>
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_customs-traditions_jumping-the-broom-can-we-do-it?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:36Discussion:fe2c5aeb-1315-4e82-b1d9-1fa53b92de3dPost:dfe262b9-0dda-45f5-a26b-51c0e0cfdbf5">Re: Jumping the broom... can we do it?</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Jumping the broom... can we do it? : A cultural element in general is a little different than a religious sacrament or ritual.  Borrowing tiding stones or a quach (sp?) is one thing.  But, if someone decided to take communion because it was cool even though they were atheists and thought the whole idea of Christ dying to open the way to Heaven was silly, would you support that?  If they decided to pray even though they don't believe in the power of prayer because they thought the words sounded pretty, would you still agree?  That, to me, is the difference.
    Posted by StageManager14[/QUOTE]

    You make a poor comparison.  She wants to hold a jumping the broom type ceremony because she likes the symbolism inherent to the custom (which is a myriad of things depending on the cultural context, but lets assume she is going for those associated with its pagan history, and less so the "slaves denied marriage" aspect of it, which she is perfectly in her rights to do as it is a custom that historically has roots across countries and cultures) ie- the crossing of the threshold of a home/life together, cleanliness and purity of the home/relationship, the clearing away of negativity, and potentially even as a symbol of fertility.  She  does not have to be Pagan to want to have one, any, or all of these things symbolically represented in her wedding. Does the desire to start a life with one's partner devoid of negativity and impurities belong to one group of people or another? No.  She isn't wanting to do it because it "looks cool", she is doing it because SYMBOLICALLY it is meaningful to her.  Using that logic, comparing this to someone who is atheist taking communion or praying makes no sense.  An atheist would not find any personally meaningful symbolism  in those actions so would not perform them.  So no, the two do not equate.  If she wanted to do this ceremony just because it looked cool and had no idea what any of it meant, then you might have a case.  However she stated in her first post that she liked the meaning behind it, not that she merely thought it looked neat. 
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