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You are here: Home / Odds / Why Do We Throw Rice at Weddings?

Why Do We Throw Rice at Weddings?

August 3, 2020 by Karen Hill

Rice has been a part of wedding ceremonies for many centuries because throughout the ages it was a symbol for fruitfulness, a wish for the couple to have great prosperity and many children.

But the rice was used in different ways by different societies. In some societies, the rice was worn or carried by the bride. In others, the bride and groom ate the rice together as the actual ceremony of getting married. In still others, the rice was sprinkled over the couple.

Then, too, the rice may have also been used as an offering to evil spirits, to feed them and satisfy them so that they would not bring any harm to the marriage.

So when you throw rice at a bride and groom today, you are actually practicing a very old custom to wish the newlyweds good things in the life they are beginning together.

In some rural English communities today, people throw wheat over a bridal couple to wish them the same good luck!

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  • Why Do Women Cry at Weddings and Why Don't Men Cry at Weddings to Express Their Happiness?
  • Why does Rice harden in the Fridge and How do you make Refrigerated Rice Soft and Fluffy again?
  • Who were the Wild Rice People and How did Native Americans harvest wild rice?
  • How do you Make Parboiled Rice and What does Converted Rice Mean?
  • Why is June the Most Popular Month For Weddings and How Did the Custom Originate?

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.

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