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With a toss of confetti, we inaugurated searches on "why throw rice at weddings" and "origin of wedding traditions." Our results, coupled with a peek into the Weddings category of the Yahoo! Directory, showered us with a wealth of answers to your question. Throwing things at a newly married couple is a very old tradition that may date back to ancient Rome or Egypt or even further back. The custom is intended to give newlyweds good luck, and most of the items thrown at the couple represent fertility and abundance. Food has always been a popular choice because it symbolizes plentiful crops. Seeds and nuts symbolize fertility because a little seed may grow into a big plant, an appropriate sentiment for a newly married couple. Grains such as wheat and rice were thrown over the newlyweds in the hopes that the couple would be prosperous and have many children to work the land. While tossing rice became most popular in America, many countries have their own traditions. In Morocco, figs, dates, and raisins are thrown to encourage a "fruitful" union. Italians traditionally shower the newlyweds with sweets and
sugarcoated nuts. (The word "confetti" may derive from the root for the Italian word for "confectionery.") In Korea, the groom's father tosses red dates at his new daughter-in-law to bring fertility. In France, wheat greets the happy couple. Eggs represent new life in some European countries and are thrown at newlyweds. An old Irish tradition has the couple being pelted with pots and pans (ouch!) in honor of their new domestic life. Throwing birdseed, however, is a more modern idea. A widely circulated urban legend says that if you throw rice at your wedding, birds will eat the uncooked rice, and it will expand in their stomachs, causing the birds to explode.
There is no truth to this story, and ornithologists and bird watchers have thoroughly debunked the myth. Uncooked rice doesn't harm birds -- they often eat it in the wild. Due to the urban legend, many in the wedding industry began recommending birdseed as a rice alternative. Of course, wedding businesses would prefer you buy their special "wedding" birdseed or "designer heart-shaped rice" that's supposed to be "safe" for birds. But don't buy into it -- inexpensive rice from your grocery store is just as safe for our feathered friends. The only danger rice poses is to people who might slip on rice on a hard
floor (birdseed can be just as risky). Some wedding locations have banned rice and seed throwing out of lawsuit fears. Other trendy "tosses" include rose petals and other blooms, sunflower seeds, fall leaves, and paper snowflakes. Bridal businesses also promote blowing bubbles or waving lit sparklers at the departing couple. Just don't ask us what those symbolize.
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