What is "Jumping the Broom"?

Jumping the Broom or the Besom Ceremony is a wedding tradition thought to date back to ancient Wales. The derogatory term “broomstick wedding” was derived from this and used by the Church of England establishment when civil marriages were first introduced in 1837. They considered anything but a Church of England marriage as a “sham” or “broomstick wedding”.

The ceremony originally involved a couple placing a broomstick across their front door. They held hands and jumped the broom into the home to symbolise sweeping away their old life for a new one together.

During the horrific period of African slavery, slaves would “jump the broom”, often in defiance of their slave masters, because as “property”, they were given no legal rights to marry. After the global success of the American TV mini-series “Roots” in the late 1970s, which featured slave couples “jumping the broom”, this wedding tradition has reclaimed by many African-Americans as part of their heritage and it is now a very popular wedding ritual in the USA. In 2011, “Jumping the Broom” was the title of a successful American Rom-com movie about the coming together of two very different African-American families.

Jumping the Broom is often used in the UK today as a fun way to finish a celebrant-led wedding ceremony. Ancient British folklore suggests that the broom represents fertility because traditionally, if the jumping of a willow broomstick took place in the couple’s field, their crops were supposed to grow as tall as they had jumped.

In a modern celebrant-led wedding ceremony, the “Jumping of the Broom” is a great theatrical photo-opportunity, especially if you get children to hold the broom! Whilst broomsticks can be borrowed or hired, many couples enjoy decorating their broomstick to match their wedding theme. It becomes a wonderful keepsake for the home.

I include “Jumping the Broom” in many of my wedding ceremony options. Feel free to get in touch to find out more.