# Black Weddings **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 31, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-weddings/306167 "2005-05-31T01:58:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-weddings/306167/21 "2005-06-01T04:43:09Z")
**elelle**! Where have you been? Miss your expertise in the music threads. Here’s one just for you, from Arthur Alexander Where have you been, where you been where you been when I was needin’ you Where have you been, where you been where you been when I was feelin’ blue Where you been oh, where you been… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-weddings/306167/22 "2005-06-01T05:24:23Z")
I have been to a couple of black weddings, and other than the tango down the aisle (which was done at one) and jumping the broom (at the other one) they were pretty much the same as white weddings. (By the way, curse you Eve, you beat me.) But I thought Baptists didn’t dance. The ones I knew sure didn’t. I am always happy to hear about any wedding where they opt out of playing the stupid Lohengrin wedding march. The recessional from a MIdsummer Night’s Dream doesn’t grate me so much–it’s more appropriate, everyone is bewitched into marrying the wrong people and they will come out of it going, _what?_ ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-weddings/306167/23 "2005-06-01T05:28:49Z")
I have been to a couple of black weddings, and other than the tango down the aisle (which was done at one) and jumping the broom (at the other one) they were pretty much the same as white weddings. Actually there has been a lot of variation, from the one where the music had to be tape-recorded because the church didn’t believe in pianos (white) to the one held in the middle of the street between the bar where the pre-wedding reception was held and the one where the post-ceremony reception was held (white). I have also been to a couple of gray weddings, I guess you’d call them. (By the way, curse you Eve, you beat me.) But I thought Baptists didn’t dance. The ones I knew sure didn’t. I am always happy to hear about any wedding where they opt out of playing the stupid Lohengrin wedding march. The recessional from a MIdsummer Night’s Dream doesn’t grate me so much–it’s more appropriate, everyone is bewitched into marrying the wrong people and they will come out of it going, _what?_ ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-weddings/306167/24 "2005-06-01T05:30:02Z")
Er, that first one was supposed to be a preview, not a submit. So ignore it. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-weddings/306167/25 "2005-06-01T05:53:21Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > What exactly is "jumping the broom? Pretty much what it says. From [here](http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20010226) > [@](#): > > During slavery, slaves were often not allowed to marry, and so an alternative ceremony for marking a couple’s commitment was adopted. Most historians and curators of African-American cultural collections agree that the tradition–at least as practiced by African-Americans–originated in the southern U.S. However, that is not entirely accepted; there is still speculation about possible African ceremonial origins, one of which was for a bride to sweep the home of her mother-in-law on her wedding day. What [Georgia Bride](http://www.georgiabride.com/broom.html) says: [quote] What is jumping the broom? Simply, it is a ceremony in which the bride and groom, either at the ceremony or reception, signify their entrance into a new life and their creation of a new family by symbolically “sweeping away” their former single lives, former problems and concerns, and stepping over the broom to enter upon a new adventure as husband and wife. And I even found a [few pictures](http://www.anyiams.com/jumping_the_broom.htm) Sounds like a nice custom actually. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-weddings/306167/26 "2005-06-01T18:40:50Z")
It’s hardly widespread, tho. There are some African-Americans who are terribly embarrassed by that ‘old-time slavery stuff’ and won’t have the jumping the broomstick tradition at their wedding. The kind of woman I plan to marry would probably like that a lot. Afrocentric weddings are interesting because they try to blend black American wedding traditions of the black churches with some traditions from West African and Afro-Caribbean societies. One had a Yoruba storyteller dressed in a flowing African robe stage-interrupt the minister to do a little song/chant preamble before the reading of the wedding vows about how the couple met, courted and fell in love. Then the lyrics of the song was presented to the couple painted on a batik textile. It was really moving, with these ten year old boys doing some soft drumming while the story was told. Another variation on this had another storyteller do the story, then she presented the bride and groom a small plate with four cakes: one sweet, one salty, one sour, one bitter. They couple were instructed to bite into each cake, and it was explained to the audience that the cakes were like impending marriage: that they could expect to enjoy the sweet times, savor the richness of salty times (salt representing prosperity), endure the sour times and withstand even the bitter times. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-weddings/306167/27 "2005-06-02T01:17:45Z")
Askia, The cakes tale is wonderful! Grits, The vocal participation of the congregation of Black churches is one of the things I love best about it. My experience is with Southern churches. You are encouraged to shout out and affirm, rather than sit there and grimly get lectured to. Some people can get pretty overboard with it, but, historically, the church was about the only place you could express yourself. In that vein, too, Black ministers (prime example being Dr. Martin Luther King), were people who were allowed to speak out all that had to be held in during the US racist past. It made for a tradition of tremendous oratory. There are many great gospel recordings, live church services, too, available. Even if you aren’t Christian (I’m not), the music and joy makes for great listening, and understanding of how people can remain strong in the face of a piss-poor situation. One of my favorite gospel artists is Sister Rosetta Tharpe, plenty of her records available. She’s pretty tame compared to modern gospel, though, with the full whupped-up basslines. As said before, being welcomed by Black churches, and how Great the sevices are, has made me unable to attend White church services without feeling like I’m in a cartoon hell world. (I know there must be exceptions to that…) John Carter, Not to hijack much, but since you asked (thanks), I’ve been busy at work, plus old computy melted down awhile back. Just got a new one at home. Haven’t seen much music thread action for my mind, but will keep an eye out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-weddings/306167.md?page=1)