photo
by Amanda Chapman
Traditions
| The Groom's Cake | Jumping the Broom | ||
| The groom's cake is a smaller cake that is served at the wedding reception. Young women (unmarried) will want to take a piece of the groom's cake home to place under their pillows and the old wive's tale says "they will marry whomever they dream of that night." | An African tribal ritual had couples placing sticks on the ground to symbolize their home together. This may be the origin of broom jumping, which was popular among African-American slaves; it may also symbolize the sweepinng away of evil spirits. |
| Throwing Rice |
Wedding Cake |
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| Rice was also seen as a symbol of fertility, and people would throw it at the couple as they left the wedding site as a blessing to be fruitful and prosper. | In 1st Century Rome, cake was thrown or broken over the bride's head as a symbol of fertitility. It was originally part of the ceremony. |
| Breaking
the Glass |
| Crushing a wineglass under the groom's foot at the end of the ceremony is a Jewish traition with many meanings. It's a symbol of the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem; a representation of the fragility of realtionships; and a reminder that marriage changes the lives of individuals forever. |
Want to read about more wedding traditions? Check out these helpful sites!