Why Do They Throw Rice at Weddings?

What Does it Symbolize?

Throwing rice at weddings is an ancient tradition predominately practised by South-Asian and Celtic cultures. For South Asians, it symbolises wealth. By throwing the rice, it shows the bride’s gratefulness to her parents throughout her life. For Celtics, it symbolises fertility, happiness, the start of a new life, and overall prosperity.

When Did it Originate?

This practice at weddings dates back to before the origins of Christianity and variations can be seen in different ancient cultures – for example, Ancient Romans threw wheat, Italians toss candies or sugared nuts, and in Morocco, dried dates or figs are thrown at the newlyweds. In ancient times, tossing crops was usually a way to appease the gods and ask for prosperity and happiness for the married couple.

When During the Wedding Does it Occur?

If the wedding is taking place in a church or chapel, guests are usually asked to line up outside as the newlyweds exit for the reception. It can also occur for the couple’s grand exit from the reception.

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I guess moss and lichen are more things that you see in the spring than in the summer, but there are some deep shady parts of our yard that stay mossy all year, and summer is a fine time to look for plants that like to live in shady, wet areas.

Raising Up Wild Things has a really pretty set of printables to use for a moss and lichen unit study.

And just in case you’re like me and don’t really know the difference, moss is a plant that grows in damp wooded areas, while lichen is a combination of fungus and algae that live together. Lichen can live in different environments but are often found in places where you would find moss, too.

The printable includes drawings of some common moss such as sphagnum moss and wood moss, as well as common lichen shapes (crusty, leafy and shrubby). There are good sized images you can print out and laminate to use to compare to specimens you find when you are exploring nature.

There’s also a forest floor coloring page and a printable journaling page where kids can write or draw their observations and there are a few questions older kids can answer.

You can use these when you go on a walk in the woods (or the back yard) to talk about what you are seeing, or combine them with other resources to talk about things that live in the forest. Check them out at Raising Up Wild Things.

This PDF from the Morton Arboretum has a bunch of pictures of different kinds of moss and where to find them, which could also be helpful in your studies. Learn more about lichen, including what they are and what they are not, in this article from the US Forest Service.

[Photo: Raising Up Wild Things]

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