Wedding custom around the world (1)
Early African American:Jumping the Broom1) In the times of slavery2) in this country, African American couples were not allowed to formally marry and live together. To make a public declaration3) of their love and commitment, a man and woman jumped over a broom into matrimony4), to the beat of drums. (The broom has long held significant meaning for the various Africans, symbolizing the start of home-making for the newlywed5) couple. In Southern Africa, the day after the wedding, the bride assisted the other women in the family in sweeping the courtyard, indicating her dutiful willingness to help her in-laws with housework till the newlyweds could move to their new home. ) Some African-American couples today are choosing to include this symbolic rite in their wedding ceremony.
世界各地婚俗(一)
早期非洲裔美國人:跳掃帚 在美國的黑奴時代, 黑人男女是不允許正式結(jié)婚生活在一起的。為了向世人宣布他們的愛情和婚約, 一對黑人男女和著鼓聲的節(jié)奏, 一起跳過一把掃帚。(掃帚對各種非洲人長期來都具有很重要的意義, 因為它意味著新婚夫婦組成家庭的開始。在南部非洲, 新娘在婚后的第一天要幫助夫家的其他女性清掃院子, 以此表明在住進自己的新家前, 她愿意盡職地幫助丈夫的家人承擔家務勞動。)直至今日, 一些美國黑人還在他們的婚禮上舉行這種象征性的儀式。
NOTE 注釋:
1. broom [bru:m] n. 掃帚
2. slavery [5sleivEri] n. 奴隸
3. declaration [7deklE5reiFEn] n. 宣布, 宣言, 聲明
4. matrimony [5mAtrimEni] n. 結(jié)婚
5. newlywed [5njJlIwed] n. 新婚的人, 新婚夫婦