Nigerian / African Broom (igbale)

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A bird that flies from the ground onto an anthill does not know that it is still on the ground. ~ Nigerian Proverb There’s no definitive answer as to where jumping the broom originated. Some people believe that the ceremony began in the 18th century in West Africa where, among some cultures, handmade brooms were used not only for cleaning but also for removing evil spirits. During a wedding ceremony, the broom was waved over the heads of a couple to ward off these spirits. Sometimes the broom was placed on the ground directly in front of a couple’s path as they turned to exit the ceremony, at which point they would jump over it. The person who jumped the highest was good-naturedly designated as the household’s decision maker [source: Aaregistry.com]. In terms of diet, the tougher, chewing diets of the robust australopithecines are supported by the extreme morphology of their face and cranium. Similarly, the prognathic faces, which jut out under the eyes in the earlier hominins, are less pronounced than in those of living great apes, yet are more pronounced than in early Homo. In contrast, the orthognathic (flat) face of our genus is well suited to accommodate our relatively small generalized teeth and processed diets. We envision our ancestors hopped over the same brooms they used to clean their homes,” Ms. Cudjoe-Wilkes said. “Our broom holds even greater meaning when we think about its simplicity.” A canoe does not know who the leader is when it turns over, everyone gets wet. ~ Proverb from Madagascar

A religious view suggests the broom represents Jesus who is the strong central structure that connects you to life and each other.When your neighbour’s horse falls into a pit, you should not rejoice at it, for your own child may fall into it too. ~ Yoruba Proverb Wealth is like hair in the nose: it hurts to be separated whether from a little or from a lot. ~ Malagasy Proverb

Battle of Dungeness, 30 November 1652". Archived from the original on 17 March 2012 . Retrieved 20 April 2012.Likely, the tradition of jumping the broom traveled from Britain to the colonies. Pre-Christian Roma and Celtic communities in the British Isles were known for jumping the broom to seal their wedding vows. Rural Anglo-Saxons embraced the practice as well. The Welsh, in particular, sustained the ritual, at least until the 1840s, and carried the tradition to the American South, where many of them settled, especially during the 19th century. If a blind man says he will throw a stone at you, he probably has his foot on one. ~ Ghanaian Proverb Similarly, the ribbons are symbolic of binding two souls together in love and tying of two families together. How to make a broom". Ogden Publications, Inc. Archived from the original on 2013-03-14 . Retrieved 2010-03-15. If the elders leave you a legacy of dignified language, you do not abandon it and speak childish language. ~ Ghanaian Proverb

If a stranger comes to stay with you, do not forget when you lay aside his weapons that he is hungry. ~ Maasai Proverb Grierson, G.A. (1885). Bihar Peasant Life. London. p.11. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) If your sister is in the group of singing girls, you name always comes into the song. ~Ghanaian Proverb In baseball and basketball, when the home team is close to accomplishing a sweep (having won the first two games of a three-game series or first three games of a four-game series), some fans will bring brooms to the ballpark and brandish them as a way of taunting the visiting team (examples: Arkansas vs. LSU, 2011; Red Sox vs. Yankees, May 13–15, 2011 and June 7–9, 2011).Shorter Oxford English dictionary, 6th ed. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. 2007. p.3804. ISBN 978-0199206872. When a woman is hungry, she says, Roast something for the children that they might eat. ~ Ashanti Proverb The chameleon changes color to match the earth, the earth doesn’t change colors to match the chameleon. ~ Senegalese Proverb Ribbons on the broom may be considered symbolic of the tie that binds the couple, while the broom handle represents life and the straw signifies the couples’ families. In pagan ceremonies, the broom represents a perfect balance between the male and female, with the handle symbolising a phallus and the bristles symbolising female energies [source: Pagans Path].