Why People Throw Perfectly Good Rice At Weddings

Sometimes one person's tradition can seem odd to another. Take, for example, the Midwest tradition of pairing cinnamon rolls with chili, or throwing perfectly good rice at weddings. No, this isn't just something reserved for television and movies. It actually happens, though, notably less often now than it used to. The reason people throw rice at weddings comes with no finite historical background, but it's speculated to date back thousands of years. Throwing rice or grain was common practice for Celts and Romans for multiple reasons.

Throwing rice at weddings was a way to symbolize prosperity, fertility, growth, and overall abundance toward the newlyweds. However, it was likely also believed among the Celts to be a way of warding off any evil spirits who might crash the wedding, intending to condemn the couple and generally drain the energy of any attendees. The rice or grain thrown by the Celts was a way to feed the spirits and appease their appetite for chaos. But the tradition of throwing rice spans many cultures in different ways, with some customs involving the throwing of flower petals or dates. Contemporary weddings in many places have changed a lot of things up — like the ability to get your wedding cake from Costco, or using sparklers as a send off (and beautiful photo op) — while taking a large step back from throwing rice amid one popular rumor.

In the 1980s, throwing rice at weddings became something to fuss about amid rumors that if a bird eats dry rice, it expands in its stomach and causes it to explode. No one wants to be the cause of a bird explosion (hopefully), so the practice was frowned upon. The negative connotation was so strong that in 1985, a law was almost passed in Connecticut to ban the use of uncooked rice at weddings. This was a kindhearted gesture, though the birds needed little protecting — at least not from rice.

Birds frequently consume dry rice in the wild, and even though it's likely not the same rice thrown at the end of a wedding ceremony, it's still rice. When humans cook white rice, it expands by around 33%. This may seem like a lot of growing for rice, but birdseed expands by roughly 40% — meaning birds would have a lot more to worry about when eating regular birdseed, compared to rice. This could be a breath of fresh air for many who still believe that rice would be detrimental to birds, or it could be confusing because many venues still don't allow rice. The truth is, rice is a pain to clean up, it can attract rodents or other wild critters, and omitting rice is a good way to keep birds away from a fancy outdoor setup to begin with. Instead, you could throw flower petals, dried lavender or herbs, blow some bubbles, or light a few sparklers. Just make sure your venue is okay with the way in which you choose to celebrate.