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Saturday, April 2, 2016

B is for Besom



Besom is a historical word for broom.  Brooms started out as twigs tied to a sturdy pole.  The besom is round because of the way it’s made, usually with birch sticks and the handle is made of hawthorn.  Willow wood was used to secure the twigs.  Modern construction uses wire or string to secure the twigs onto a pole with a nail instead of a wooden dowel.




Besoms were the first brooms and were used for sweeping just like today’s common broom.  In North America the traditional besom died out around 1800.  The twigs were replaced by broomcorn (sorghum) because there was plenty of wide open space to grow corn.  In Europe they didn’t have this space and picked heather from the countryside for brooms sometimes.


The besom is the broom witches were thought to fly about on.  Today besoms are used as magical tools for sweeping by pagans.

The current broom comes in all shapes, sizes, and different colors.  They can be made of many materials and some come with dustpans.  We have industrial ones, household ones and even small ones called whisk brooms for small jobs.  Every household and most businesses have at least one broom today.




Sometimes when I’m sweeping, the Jimi Hendrix song, The Wind Cries Mary, pops into my head.  “A broom is drearily sweeping up the broken pieces of yesterday’s life.”  When you think about it, this is so true.


12 comments:

  1. A broom is one of those things we take for granted and never think about as having history but this was very interesting!

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    1. Carol,

      That's right. That's why I decided to use broom for B in this year's challenge.

      Thanks for visiting me and for your comment.

      Sunni

      Delete
  2. I learned something new today! I didn't know what a besom was before I came here and now I do :)

    betty

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    Replies
    1. Betty,

      Thanks. I think you'll find my A to Z this year filled with a lot of things you didn't know. That's the plan anyway.

      Thanks for reading and your comment.

      Sunni

      Delete
  3. Very interesting post- educational too.

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    1. pilch,

      The plan is to keep it interesting and educational this year. We'll see how I do.

      Thanks for visiting and for your comment.

      Sunni

      Delete
  4. I knew you would post about something magical along the way. Ha! Great post Sis.

    http://enchantedfantasies.blogspot.com/

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    1. Thea,

      I guess you got that right. Everyone owns a broom, or maybe two, so I thought it would be interesting to read about it's history.

      Thanks for visiting and your comment.

      Sunni

      Delete
  5. What an original post! I learned something here and really enjoyed it.
    Revisit the Tender Years with me during the #AtoZChallenge at Life & Faith in Caneyhead!

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    1. Thanks Barbara.

      Glad you enjoyed that. I'm heading over your site now.

      Thanks for visiting me during the challenge.

      Sunni

      Delete
  6. Oh, so that's what those brooms are called! Good to know.

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    1. Liz,

      That's how all brooms started out. Today you can still find the original besom, if you look for it.

      Thanks for visiting and your comment.

      Sunni

      Delete

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comment on my posts. I appreciate it.
Sunni