Essay On African American Wedding

American Wedding with African Touches Wedding ceremonies as be as individual as the couple getting married. One couple prefers to have a themed wedding whereas another couple may opt for the traditional ceremony. What happens at a wedding can vary from state to state or country to country. So this paper will take a look at a typical traditions related to an American wedding. First, most women follow the tradition of having “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue”. The something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue objects are good luck charms, which the bride has on during the ceremony. Not many people know what the symbolization of the objects. Something old signifies continuity, something new embodies hope for the future, something borrowed denotes borrowed happiness and something blue stands for purity, love and fidelity. Generally, the
In the past, marriage licenses didn’t exist, so tying of a cord around the wrist showed that they were letting the public know they belong to each other.
Finally, the clergyman will announce the couple as Mr. and Mrs. to the guest. This point to incorporate the African traditions again, Afro Americans perform the jumping of the broom. A broom usually decorated with the wedding colors and flowers will be placed on the floor in front of the couple. The couple jumps over the broom to represent the beginning of their union. The tradition of jumping the broom dates back from slavery days. Slaves jump the broom to show they were a couple because they weren’t allowed to have weddings.
In conclusion, as stated earlier, weddings can be individual as the couples getting married. Since couples are becoming more and more diverse, traditions are being incorporated to represent the ethnic or religious background of both