Enslaved Africans were not permitted to marry, thus they created their own ritual to honor their nuptials.  To symbolize their commitment, slaves jumped the broom as to sweep away the old and bring in the new and to celebrate a new beginning.  Africans continued the jumping the broom ritual as a way to maintaining a tie to their culture and homeland.  Depending on where an Africans lived there were many different variations of wedding rituals in addition to jumping the broom.

In West Africa, couples performed a Yoruba Tasting Ceremony and also known as the Tasting of the Four Temperaments.  The Yoruba Ceremony involves tasting four elements which illustrates the experiences that a couple is expected to go through during their marriage.  The elements include bitter, sweet, sour and hot.  Water is used to cleanse the palate and represent a way of moving forward.  The ceremony is slated before the bride and groom exchange their vows and begins with the officiant explaining the basis for the ritual.  The groom feeds the bride the first elements and bride reciprocates.  As the bride and groom taste each item, the officiant will explain the types of issues may arise that represent that particular flavor.  After each taste, the couple cleanses their palate with water.  For the tasting ceremony you can choose your own elements, some of the popular ones include cayenne pepper, lemon, honey and vinegar.  These represent the bitter, the hot, the sour and sweet times of marriage. 

Today, there is some level of controversy as to whether African-Americans should jump the broom because it has ties to slavery.  One must note that it was Africans that were brought to America and wanted to carry on the tradition and maybe we should look at it from that perspective. 

Here are some things to consider if you are planning a “jumping the broom” ceremony. 

1.             Choose a broom several weeks in advance and be sure that fits the style of your wedding.  Wedding planning is a stressful time, why add more burden by waiting until the last minute. Adorn your broom with ribbons, cowrie shells, silk or fresh flowers.  

2.             Figure out when and where you are going to have your jumping the broom ceremony. There are some officiants who will not perform the ceremony because of the ties to slavery so confirm.  If you are unable to perform the ceremony your house of worship consider performing it at the reception.

3.             Preserve your broom.  Keep them in a special keepsake box and consider having the box engraved. 

If you would like more information on jumping the broom and ordering a broom for your ceremony, please visit the website www.blackbridalguide.com.