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African-American Wedding Traditions
Sheila Stone
Because African-Americans are descended from slaves
who were forcibly removed from their homelands,
their customs were not able to develop naturally.
They had to be re-created. They had lost their
homeland, their community structure and their
freedom all at once. Since they were not allowed to
marry under the law, they had to find inventive
rituals and traditions. The tradition of “jumping
the broom” is one such tradition. The broom itself
held spiritual significance for many African peoples
since the new bride had traditionally helped other
women in her new family sweep the courtyard clean.
This symbolized her willingness to help out with her
future family. During slavery, the couple would
literally jump over a broom to begin the marriage.
Today, this is becoming a traditional part of
Afro-centric weddings ceremony as a way of honoring
the trials of the couple’s ancestors.
Drums were an important part of wedding ceremonies
both in Africa and here in America, until they were
outlawed. The “talking drums” were considered too
dangerous to be allowed.
In nearly all African tribes, the wedding contained
much symbolism involving the bringing together of
two families. Anything that would center on this
blending of families (such as the bride’s family and
the groom’s family forming lines and then exchanging
places) would be in keeping with this tradition.
Some tribes would braid grass and use it to bind the
bride and groom’s wrists together to symbolize their
union.
Another new-old tradition is decorative accents of
cowrie shells. They are found off the coast of West
Africa and were once used as money. They are also a
symbol of purification, beauty and power. Today they
can be worn in bridal necklaces or used to trim
gowns, jackets and headpieces in silver and white.
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