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Jumping the BroomIn contrast to many West African traditions, the practice of jumping the broom is a wholly American addition that developed out of the institution of slavery in the United States. Slaves had no right to legal marriage; slaveholders considered slaves property and feared that legal marriage and family bonds had the potential to lead to organization and revolt. Marriage rituals, however, were important events to the Africans, who came in many cases come from richly-ceremonial African cultures. When faced with the loss of the right to marry, many created new rituals with what was on hand. Taking marriage vows in the presence of a witness and then leaping over the handle of a broom became the common practice to create a recognized union. This symbolized the crossing of a threshold and the taking of a "leap of faith." Brooms are also symbols of the hearth, the center of the new family being created. Jumping the broom has become a practice in many modern weddings between Black Americans. Some Neopagans have borrowed this practice and incorporated it into their handfastings. The broom also holds other significance specific to neopagan and Wiccan beliefs (see broomstick). Jumping the Broom presents hundreds of original ideas for enhancing your wedding with Afrocentric touches at every statge.  
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