In African American wedding tradition, the custom of newlyweds jumping over a broom is called jumping the broom.
The couple typically holds hands and jumps over a broom laid across the floor, symbolizing the transition into married life and the creation of a new household. The broom can also represent sweeping away the past or domestic partnership.
The practice has roots in African American communities and has been connected by historians to enslaved people in the United States, whose marriages lacked legal recognition under slavery. Some scholars also identify related broom-jumping customs in parts of Britain and Wales, so the tradition has more than one historical strand.
Modern ceremonies may include the custom as a cultural heritage ritual, whether or not it forms part of a legally recognized wedding. It is not the same as simply carrying a bride over a threshold.