<P> According to Alan Dundes (1996), the custom originated among Romani people in Wales (Welsh Kale) and England (Romanichal). </P> <P> C.W. Sullivan III (1997) in a reply to Dundes argued that the custom originated among the Welsh people themselves, known as priodas coes ysgub ("besom wedding"), Sullivan's source is the Welsh folklorist Gwenith Gwynn (a.k.a. W. Rhys Jones), who assumed that the custom had once existed on the basis of conversations with elderly Welsh people during the 1920s, none of whom had ever seen such a practice . One had claimed that: "It must have disappeared before I was born, and I am seventy - three". Gwynn's dating of the custom to the 18th century rested on the assumption that it must have disappeared before these elderly interviewees were born, and on his misreading of the baptism register of the parish of Llansantffraid Glyn Ceiriog . </P> <P> Local variations of the custom were developed in different parts of England and Wales . Instead of placing the broom on the ground, and jumping together, the broom was placed in an angle by the doorway . The groom jumped first, followed by the bride . In southwest England, in Wales, and in the border areas between Scotland and England, "(while some) couples...agreed to marry verbally, without exchanging legal contracts (,)... (o) thers jumped over broomsticks placed across their thresholds to officialize their union and create new households", indicating that contractless weddings and jumping the broomstick were different kinds of marriage . </P> <P> In some African - American communities, marrying couples will end their ceremony by jumping over a broomstick, either together or separately . This practice is well attested for as a marriage ceremony for slaves in the Southern United States in the 1840s and 1850s who were often not permitted to wed legally . Its revival in 20th century African American culture is due to the novel and miniseries Roots (1976, 1977). </P>

Where does the tradition of jumping the broom come from