158 Culture, Identity, and Community: From Slavery to the Presentwife, just prior to the recessional at the end of their wedding
ceremony.
African Americans have also borrowed a number of
rituals from throughout the African Diaspora. Some of the
lesser known include crossing two sticks as a sign of com-
mitment and pouring out libations in honor of the couple’s
ancestors. Contemporary brides and grooms oft en deco-
rate the venue where their ceremony is held with fl owers;
those who marry in spiritual venues tend to place fl owers
on the altar as an off ering. Elaborate hairstyles, African-
inspired headpieces and fabrics (such as kente, mudcloth,
or aso-oke prints) are sometimes integrated with Western
attire and/or family heirlooms. African American couples
may also choose to fuse Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or other
religious ceremonial elements with spiritual and performa-
tive practices such as West African drumming and dance.
Members of black fraternities and sororities sometimes
incorporate the symbols, colors, mottos, fl owers, mission,
and members of their organizations into their weddings.
Th e wedding feast is one of the most time-honored
links between peoples of African descent in the Diaspora.
Wedding receptions provide opportunities for familyparties provide occasions for family and friends to prepare
the couple for marriage.
Jumping the broom is arguably the most well-known
African American wedding tradition. In a number of Af-
rican cultures, the broom symbolizes the beginnings of
shared domestic life. During slavery, African American
couples were denied the right to legally marry. Th e practice
of jumping the broom emerged as a symbolic means of en-
tering into marriage. In these instances, slaves would gather
either in secret or with the permission of the slave owner to
witness a couple’s pledge of devotion. At the conclusion of
the pledge, a broom would be placed on the ground in front
of them, and they would jump over it to mark their transi-
tion into married life.
Th is custom was highly publicized in the made-for-
television adaptation of Alex Haley’s Roots and has gained
in popularity since the Afrocentric cultural movements of
the 1970s. Oft entimes, the broom is decorated by brides-
maids, family members, or friends. In many contempo-
rary African American wedding ceremonies, the bride and
groom may opt to jump the broom following the exchange
of wedding vows or their legal pronouncement as man and
Jumping the broom at a slave wedding, about 1 820. (Art Media)