• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Odds / Why Do We Throw Confetti?

Why Do We Throw Confetti?

March 17, 2020 by Karen Hill

The confetti we throw today at newlyweds and returning heroes is a way of honoring them on special occasions or celebrating their accomplishments. But these little bits of colored paper did not begin as paper at all.

Hundreds of years ago, the celebration of carnival days in Italy gave merrymakers an excuse for boisterous carryings-on. Included in these celebrations was the custom of flinging coins and pieces of candy at each other. This candy, in Italian, is called confetti.

At one point in history, a storekeeper decided that he could make more of a profit at carnival time by selling imitation candies cut out of colored cardboard. His idea became a huge success.

Down through the years, the candy-shaped cardboard became the small square bits of colored paper we use today.

Related Facts

  • How Did the Custom of Throwing Confetti at a Wedding Originate and What Does the Tradition Mean?
  • Why Do We Throw Rice at Weddings?
  • Why Did Francis Henry Egerton Throw Dinner Parties For His Dogs?
  • Why Do People Throw Coins Into Fountains and Make a Wish and Where Did the Superstition Come From?
  • Why Do Boomerangs Come Back To You When You Throw Them and How Do Boomerangs Fly In a Circle?
  • How does a boomerang come back to you after you throw it?

Filed Under: Odds

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Why Do You Cup Your Hands Around Your Mouth To Call Someone Far Away?
Next Post: How Did Toadstools Get Named? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy