Black wedding traditions are varied and beautiful. Here are just some to learn and incorporate into your wedding celebration.
Black weddings typically include rituals borrowed from their ancestral past or cultural heritage, such as a libation ceremony, jumping the broom, and a money dance, among other such practices. Here’s everything you need to know about Black wedding traditions and the many smaller rituals and other symbolic actions that mark the ceremony or day’s events.
The Libation Ceremony
In this ritual, alcohol or holy water is poured in each of the cardinal directions—north, south, east, and west—in the presence of elders attending the wedding and in honor of those who have passed on, inviting their blessings and guidance toward the newly married couple. In the Libation ritual, appropriate prayers are recited, and the liquids are typically presented in elaborate vessels aligned with the occasion. Close family members or friends may be invited to present the vessel at a certain time.
The bride and groom taste four flavors that are intended to signify the ups and downs of their marital life. A pinch of cayenne, a slice of lemon, a sip of vinegar, and a spoonful of honey are presented, so that the spiciness, sourness, bitterness, and sweetness, respectively, denote the trials and tribulations the union may experience, plus the couple’s promise to experience it all together. A symbolic demonstration to stay committed in the face of any challenges.
Photo Credit // Cortiella Photography
Jumping the Broom
In this wedding tradition, the couple jumps over a broom together toward the end of their wedding ceremony, symbolizing their love for each other and their commitment to their marriage. The brooms are sometimes customized or handmade and are saved as a memento of the day in the couple’s home. The tradition dates back in time to when marriage was forbidden by law in the Black community.
Another ritual where the couple demonstrates their commitment to each other in marriage is crossing wooden sticks to signify their strength in unity. The sticks are sometimes decorated with flowers and other accessories, painted in the couple’s wedding colors, or even picked from their respective family’s home or other venue that holds special meaning. The intention: to start the building of their own home on a strong note.
Tying the Knot
Bringing the couple together in another expression of solidarity is the tying of their wrists with decorated rope, traditionally patterned cloth, braided grass, or a string of cowrie shells, which is considered by some to be a symbol of prosperity or fertility. During the ritual, the pair then says their vows in front of the wedding officiant who ties the knot and confirms the association in the presence of wedding guests.
Exchanging Kola Nuts
Where kola nuts once held importance for their medicinal properties, today they are commonly exchanged during a wedding ceremony as a sign of the couple and their families being unified through marriage. The healing properties of the kola nut denotes the two parties taking care of each other through thick and thin and in sickness and in health. These nuts are then placed in the couple’s home as a reminder of their wedding promises.
Money Spray
Traditional music plays a big part in Black weddings, and the money spray tends to be included as part of festivities. On the big day, the newly married couple dances to music of their choice at the wedding reception, while guests toss cash at them. The money is eventually collected by the couple or others assisting with the event. This money is then used to help the pair start their new life together. For guests, it’s a way to share their blessing and wish the newlyweds a life of prosperity.
Photo Credit // Angie Mcpherson Photography
Using Traditional Textiles
For many, incorporating the patterns and colors of textiles they consider part of their cultural heritage is integral to their wedding day. If not in traditional attire they wear to their ceremony itself, they also try to incorporate it in the design and décor of their wedding venue or dining and entertaining areas. For some, the type of cloth used might hold special significance related to their ancestry, their family’s culture, or be an heirloom passed on through the generations.
Traditional Symbols
These symbols express words of wisdom and are used to convey special wedding messages and blessings for the new couple. You might see them on the wedding cake, invites or even the décor and favors, aside from also making an appearance in the textiles mentioned above. There may also be references made to the symbols and their meaning by the wedding officiant or other members of the wedding party in their speeches.
Knocking on the Door
Typically done ahead of the wedding, this is the tradition of the groom knocking on the door of the prospective partner’s home to ask their family’s permission for their hand in marriage. While this may or may not be practiced anymore in the strict sense, some couples choose to include this as part of their wedding festivities and weave it into the day’s agenda to fulfill this tradition toward their wedding ceremony.
As with many cultures, Black wedding traditions encompass different aspects of the couple’s heritage that hold special meaning and are all aimed at bringing together the special pair and their respective families under the happy occasion of their marriage.
At least, four main types of marital unions can be identified in Zimbabwe: Traditional customary marriage, religious marriage, civil marriage and mutual consent union/cohabitation.
At least, four main types of marital unions can be identified in Zimbabwe: Traditional customary marriage, religious marriage, civil marriage and mutual consent union/cohabitation.
The Tiv people celebrate their traditional Nigerian weddings with the "Kwase Ku" ceremony. The groom's family visits the bride's family with a pot of wine, and both families negotiate the bride price. After the negotiations, the couple is united in a traditional dance, and everyone joins in the celebration.
Lugemwa explains that four traditions that couples often choose to include in their African-American weddings are the jumping of the broom, tasting the four elements, tying the knot and libation ceremony. Whichever customs you choose for your special day, find vendors who can bring them to life on The Knot.
The Wedding Tradition of Jumping the Broom Didn't Actually Derive From Africa. Popularized by Roots, jumping the broom has been traced back to wedding rituals in Europe.
According to William Abraham (1987: 22): Marriage in African tradition is the joining of two families through the union of one man and one woman and their children, always to the exclusion of all other men as regards the woman, and in monogamous societies, to the exclusion of all other women as regards the man.
Some unhealthy marriage practices common in our society include the following: 1 Early marriage. Same-sex marriage. Trial marriages. Forced marriages. Widow (or wife) inheritances.
"Typically, Nigerian weddings are large affairs (think of weddings running to between 600-1,000 guests) where it is common for invited guests to bring along uninvited guests! There will be lots of dancing and respect paid to honoured guests in attendance."
This may be expressed by the joining of hands, an exchange of rings or chains, or the tying of garments. However, all the elements in marriage rituals vary greatly among different societies, and components such as time, place, and the social importance of the event are fixed by tradition and habit.
Four types of marriage and divorce are recognized in Nigeria; African customary marriage and divorce) Islamic marriage and divorce, Christian mArriage and divorce, and statutory marriage and divorce. The last two types of marriage and divorce are monogamous ) whereas the first two are potentially polygamous.
A black wedding (Yiddish: shvartse khasene), or plague wedding (Yiddish: mageyfe khasene) is a Jewish custom consisting of a wedding performed in times of crisis, such as during epidemics. The bride and the groom, being either poor orphans, beggars, or disabled, were wed in an effort to ward-off diseases.
“In many instances, especially here in the United States, wearing black to a wedding has been seen as a fashion faux pas because typically the color black is associated with mourning,” wedding etiquette expert Elaine Swann tells Brides.
The Hammam: A pre-wedding ceremony, women, and friends of the bride have a party where the bride is given a milk bath in the hammam, which includes a black soap to purify the bride. The Henna: The Nekkacha, a specialist paints the hands and feet of the bride and her party.
Shattered glass symbolizes the fragility of our relationship and reminds us that we must treat our relationship with special care. This custom was also incorporated into the ceremony to remind everyone that even at the height of personal joy, we must, nevertheless, remember the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.
The unity sand ceremony, a variation of the unity candle ceremony, is a tradition full of symbolism. Two people take sand from their individual vessels and combine the grains into one. The act represents the joining of two individuals and the creation of a new union and family.
What Is the Rice Toss? The rice toss is a symbolic wish to the just-married couple for a life of prosperity and fruitfulness, which to the ancients meant many children. As a blessing, guests shower the couple with rice as they exit the ceremony.
Four types of marriage and divorce are recognized in Nigeria; African customary marriage and divorce) Islamic marriage and divorce, Christian mArriage and divorce, and statutory marriage and divorce. The last two types of marriage and divorce are monogamous ) whereas the first two are potentially polygamous.
Traditional African marriages comprise a series of ceremonies that range in length from a day to a week. Feasting, dancing, animal sacrifice and blessings ensure the community's participation in marriage rituals and bond the two families to each other and to their larger world.
This may be expressed by the joining of hands, an exchange of rings or chains, or the tying of garments. However, all the elements in marriage rituals vary greatly among different societies, and components such as time, place, and the social importance of the event are fixed by tradition and habit.
Polygamy in Africa has existed throughout the history of Africa. Polygamy, particularly polygyny, is a highly valued social institution in Africa. Polygamy is a marriage between a man or woman and their multiple spouses. Polygyny is a marriage between a man and multiple wives.
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