Everything You Need to Know About Jumping the Broom

Learn what it means to jump the broom, why couples choose to jump the broom at their wedding and why it’s a tradition that might not be for everyone…

Anna Lao-Kaim

26 November, 2020

Weddings, by their very nature, are steeped in tradition. From ‘something old, something new’ to handfasting ceremonies, smashing the glass and bridal mehndi, every culture and religion celebrates their own unique wedding customs. Unlike exchanging rings or cutting a cake, however, some wedding traditions are less well understood than others, with jumping the broom being a case in point.

With references to the ritual featuring in everything from Great Expectations to Grey’s Anatomy and Married at First Sight, jumping the broom is a longstanding tradition with complex origins. You may have seen it on TV, come across it in literature, witnessed another couple jumping the broom or be considering including it on your own wedding day – here’s your guide to the significance of jumping the broom and what to be aware of before you commit.

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What Does It Mean to Jump the Broom?

In a literal sense, jumping the broom entails a couple jumping over a broom to demonstrate their union. They could jump over the same broom together holding hands or less commonly lay a broom in front of one another and jump over each other’s broom either individually or at the same time.

The History of Jumping the Broom

The earliest accounts of jumping or stepping over a broom to signify marriage date back to the 1700s, when ‘besom’ (a type of broomstick) weddings were held by members of the Roma community. Couples married over a broom as their beliefs prevented them from being officially joined in matrimony in the eyes of the Church. Marriages were said to be doomed or invalid if either of the newlyweds touched the broom when jumping over it and marriages could also be annulled by jumping backwards over a broom.

In other areas of Europe it was customary for the bride to jump over a broom on entering the marital home for the first time to signify a rejection of witchcraft.

In the US, jumping the broom has closer ties to slavery. Slaves weren’t afforded even the most fundamental of rights and this extended to legal marriage. As a result it was common for slaves to jump the broom to declare their commitment to one another, normally in front of witnesses. Some scholars assert that many slaves were forced to take part in broomstick marriages in order to go on to bear children or as a means of humiliation, but Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies Tyler D.Parry highlights that it was in the main a tradition that slaves adopted as their own.

After abolition many Black couples abandoned the practice in place of legal marriage, although some former slaves saw no reason to legally marry having already jumped the broom. The tradition then fell out of favour, coming back into wider cultural consciousness in the 1960s and 70s when Black writers featured and discussed the practice in works such as Alex Haley’s Roots. Parry credits Danita Rountree Green’s later 1992 publication Broom Jumping: A Celebration of Love for a resurgence in Black couples including jumping the broom in their wedding ceremonies. Jumping the broom has since been referenced in a 2011 rom-com of the same name (you can watch it on Netflix), in a 2013 episode of Grey’s Anatomy and in a recently aired 2020 episode of Married at First Sight, in which newlyweds Amani and Woody jump over a broom after saying their vows and before the first kiss.

Why Do Couples Jump the Broom?

Jumping the broom is a very personal choice and not one that should be taken lightly. It’s a ritual that’s becoming increasingly popular among Black couples in the US in particular as a means of honouring their ancestors and as a mark of respect to their legacy.

Many see jumping the broom after their wedding ceremony as a way to pay homage to those that came before them who endured immense suffering and who didn’t have the option to legally marry. Incorporating jumping the broom into modern day weddings can be seen as a ritual that goes some way to reclaiming the past and many couples now jump over heirloom brooms, passed down to them by elders or friends of the family. Parry underlines that whether or not to jump the broom is a topic of debate among many different Black couples, families and communities in the US, but one “that matters to people”.

As for jumping the broom in the UK, wedding planner and designer Akilah Atiba-Davies has recently received her very first request from a couple to include the tradition as part of their wedding day:

“I’m a big advocate of modernising traditions and family cultures. I would advise couples to really think about why jumping the broom is important to them and encourage them to develop a deep understanding of it as a ritual before including in their big day.”

While some wiccan and pagan weddings also include jumping the broom during or after the wedding ceremony owing to its pagan grounding, it’s important to consider the wider context of jumping the broom before you commit.

How to Jump the Broom on Your Wedding Day

If you do decide to jump the broom, you could do so within your wedding ceremony but be sure to discuss it with your officiant or celebrant first. Many couples choose to jump the broom at the end of the service to cement their union, often jumping hand in hand with the broom having been laid out by a friend, family member, bridesmaid or groomsman.

Akilah advises making a wooden or antique broom your own by “decorating the handle with florals to match your wedding theme and engraving it with your initials and wedding date”. Fabric, foliage and/or ribbons work well and you could ask guests to the wedding party to contribute to your broom decoration, whether by way of trinkets, keepsakes or handwritten notes. You can then display your broom in your home after the wedding and pass it down the family line if you so choose.

Akilah emphasises that there are no strict rules when it comes to exactly how to jump the broom:

“Consider including it in your evening reception instead of the ceremony itself so that its meaning can be fully explained to guests. You could even perform the ritual in private if you’d prefer, with or without an actual broom. It’s the gesture and significance to both of you that really counts.”

If you’re jumping the broom, be sure to capture the moment on camera – check out our list of 40 Black wedding photographers to make the magic happen.