Have You Been Living In A Vacuum?
Getting a new broom for your home is considered good luck as it sweeps away unwanted energy. Old brooms are just the opposite, carrying “old dirt” into your home.
Remember Cinderella and her broom? Broomsticks often symbolized female oppression (tied to the home) but also turned into a vehicle by which to escape. This is how broomsticks became associated with witchcraft.
Japanese
According to Japanese folklore, long ago brooms were not household cleaning tools, but actually holy instruments used in ritual purification ceremonies. They were used to purify a room to sweep out bad energy. After a 100 years if it was carelessly thrown away it would come back as a Yokai, called, Hahakigami (meaning broom spirit). Sometimes they could be seen on windy days frantically sweeping away leaves.
Jumping The Broom
There is a wedding tradition called, “jumping the broom” – during the wedding ceremony the couple jumps over a broom to symbolize a new beginning. The tradition started with slaves’ weddings during the Antebellum period. They often incorporated the ceremony because they were not allowed to legally marry. In later years African American couples carried on the tradition.
Have You Been Living In A Vacuum?
Getting a new broom for your home is considered good luck as it sweeps away unwanted energy. Old brooms are just the opposite, carrying “old dirt” into your home.
Remember Cinderella and her broom? Broomsticks often symbolized female oppression (tied to the home) but also turned into a vehicle by which to escape. This is how broomsticks became associated with witchcraft.
Japanese
According to Japanese folklore, long ago brooms were not household cleaning tools, but actually holy instruments used in ritual purification ceremonies. They were used to purify a room to sweep out bad energy. After a 100 years if it was carelessly thrown away it would come back as a Yokai, called, Hahakigami (meaning broom spirit). Sometimes they could be seen on windy days frantically sweeping away leaves.
Jumping The Broom
There is a wedding tradition called, “jumping the broom” – during the wedding ceremony the couple jumps over a broom to symbolize a new beginning. The tradition started with slaves’ weddings during the Antebellum period. They often incorporated the ceremony because they were not allowed to legally marry. In later years African American couples carried on the tradition.