African American Weddings

African American Weddings: are unique, personal and individual. With over 800 ethnic groups in Africa each with their own traditions, several different faiths including Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Hindu, Baha’i, etc., several different languages including Arabic, Swahili and Hausa, it would be very wrong to generalize. The only generalization that can safely be made is that there are no such things as traditional African American Weddings. It is important for the individuals concerned to do their own research into their African heritage, before designing their own wedding.

Common Traits In African American Weddings:

Having said it is wrong to generalize, there are four main common traits that appear again and again, as follows, as well as “jumping the broom”:

- A Libation Offering: is the opening and pouring of wine before well wishers, in order to call upon African ancestral heroes to bear witness to the marriage.

- Union: the marriage is of two families, not two individuals. Sometimes it represents the marriage of two communities.

- “Yoruba”: is a very spiritual service which starts one month prior to an African wedding. As a consequence there tends to be an extremely spiritual basis to African American weddings.

- Public Celebration: an African marriage is a communal event. Again, as a consequence the enthusiasm tends to spill over with large extended family and community gatherings in America.

- Jumping the Broom: is of North American origin. Slaves were not permitted to marry, therefore a tradition of jumping the broom was instituted to solemnize the union of the couple. The broom is symbolic of sweeping away evil.

Personalizing your African American Wedding:

This is where your research comes in. You may choose to incorporate your tribal language, materials, tools and symbols, and music into your American wedding. Other aspects you may choose to ignore such as the provision of a dowry, circumcision, and cannibalism! Examples include:

- the Zulu’s of South Africa are renown for their beaded dress
- the Himba people of Namikia have special matrimonial leather headdresses
- the Chew (Chinyanja or Nyanja) of Zambia, Malawi and Botswana, speak Bantu. “Zilombo” (masked dancers) dance the “Gule Wamkulu” a ritual dance.
- the Amhara of Ethiopia insist that a bride must be circumcised prior to her marriage. The “Mize” (best men) hold the bride down whilst she is deflowered. If the groom is not able to perform the Mize may do so for him.
- the Fang of Gabon are especially known for their masks and their guardian figures. They depict figures of wooden boxes containing the bones of the ancestors.

I believe it is important to be familiar with your heritage. It is important not only to your health, to pass down to your children, but also to have a sense of who you are.




African American Weddings