Jumping the Broom is both a Celtic/European tradition, as well as an African tradition.
lenoresgrimoire.com.au
After the bride and groom have been proclaimed married, a broom/besom is laid at the pairs feet, and the jump over it. Seems like a simple ritual, right?
Try doing it in wedged heels wearing a VERY heavy dress!
The broom represents the threshold of the home. I love that my Muggle and I jumped ours, because he certainly couldn’t carry me through a doorway. We had been living together already, so along with this ritual and it’s connection to my faith, it connected us to our ancestral lines. I’m a mongrel (2nd-8th generation Australian along with Dutch, English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh) with my Muggle’s ancestry of English and Irish.
I’m feeling nostalgic, so here’s some select photos from my handfasting, on the 9th October 2011, at Harvester Moon in the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria (Australia). All photos are by Kari Teagan Photography, and our High Priestess was Lenore from Lenore’s Grimoire. No faces for privacy reasons.
Book of Eucalypt 
Beautiful wedding! Wish I’d done that when I got married! Such lovely images, and it looks like very happy memories…. X
Going through the photos again for this post has made me wish I could do it again! Just without the 11C weather when we were first told 22C!!
Beautiful!
Thank-you!
I can definitely relate, it ain’t easy jumpin in a heavy dress! I had the broom jump a part of my handfasting in honor to pay respects to my African ancestors, not so much due to it having Pagan roots. Lots of things involved in mine had to do with ancestral venetration, then again, I was also handfasted on Samhain, so it was to be expected, in my pov. 🙂 I had also made mine, involving a ton of symbolism.
After my husband and I jumped, the HPS forgot to remove the broom, so my Bridal party were “married” too, as they jumped over it. lol.
Beautiful pictures and thanks for sharing it.
Our HPS said to us, “I can’t bend down so I’m not going to hold it. Is that ok?” I said, “this weighs a tonne, I’ll be happy to step over it!”
We chose our day for it’s play on numbers – 9th day of the 10th month, 2011 – 9/10/11. I thought that was quite clever, as we didn’t want to wait for May!
How sweet 🙂 My wife and I were handfasted by a local priestess, and if we had been inclined to do so, our ritual would have been longer. Unfortunately, the weather in October in Ontario on 31 October 2010 was bitterly cold and none of us could feel our noses by the end, lol
I like to joke that we had all four elements there. Sunshine, on a cliff by the bay, and so windy we were all shivering and everyone had trouble hearing the ceremony!
I wish I could have seen the rest of that dress. It looks amazing!
Here’s where I bought it from – http://www.weddingdressfantasy.com/plus-size-wedding-dress-available-in-every-color-23/
It is amazing and I love the color you chose.
Looks like it was a really lovely ceremony! I’m in the process of planning my own handfasting, and my partner has enthusiastically agreed to jump the broomstick with me. *so excited*
Fantastic! I’m so excited for you!
Make sure you get a good broom, too. We have ours hanging up in the kitchen!