Wedding traditions with rice and grain
Rice is the grain of plenty, and in many parts of the world a wedding without it would be strange.
Rice is the grain of plenty, and in many parts of the world a wedding without it would be strange. It is thrown, offered in fire, poured into hands, eaten as the first meal and stored as a sign of a full house.
Throwing and offering
Throwing rice at the couple is common in Western and Asian weddings as a wish for fertility and abundance, and many venues now ask for petals or birdseed instead. In Hindu weddings the bride's brothers place puffed rice in her hands, and she offers it to the fire in the laja homa. Bengali and Maharashtrian weddings use rice grains in the tilak and akshata. In Pakistan and India, a bride may throw rice backward over her head as she leaves her family home, a gesture of repaying her parents.
Rice as food and gift
Chinese families give rice cakes and rice dishes. Indonesian and Thai families offer rice at temples, and in Japan a bowl of rice is shared in some regions. Korean weddings include dates and chestnuts in the pyebaek. In Vietnam and the Philippines rice is served to show prosperity. In many cultures the new couple's first meal includes it.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Rice and grain (symbol). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAlpanaআলপনা (Bengali)
Rice flour floor paintings that bless homes and mark wedding celebrations in Bengal.Adornment · The weeks before
🇱🇦 Laos and 1 moreBaciບາສີ (Lao); บายศรี (Thai)
The wrist-tying ceremony that calls the soul back to restore balance and good luck.Blessing · The ceremony
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 2 moreKenduri
A communal feast and prayer gathering held by Javanese and Malay communities to mark life events.Feast custom · The weeks before
🇹🇭 ThailandKhanom Si Thuaiขนมสี่ถ้วย
A Thai wedding dessert of four sweet cups symbolizing harmony and lasting love.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇮🇳 IndiaAyyavazhi wedding
The sacred rite of Ayyavazhi that treats marriage as a spiritual sacrament and family life as the highest austerity.Rite · Procession and arrival
🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanShinto wedding神前結婚 (Shinzen kekkon)
A Shinto purification ritual featuring sake sharing and kimono attire held at a shrine or venue.Rite · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United StatesNavajo wedding ceremony
A Navajo marriage ritual centred on harmony, family union, and nature inside a Hogan.Rite · The eve
🇮🇳 IndiaSaptapadiसप्तपदी (Saptapadī)
The seven steps or rounds around the sacred fire that complete a Hindu marriage.Rite · The ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreYajnaयज्ञ (Yajña)
A sacred fire ritual central to Hindu weddings and other rites of passageRite · The ceremony
🇮🇩 IndonesiaSlametan
A communal Javanese feast that brings neighbors together for peace and social unity.Feast custom · The weeks before
🇮🇳 Delhi, India and 2 moreKarva Chauthकरकचतुर्थी (Karakachaturthī)
A Hindu festival where married women fast from sunrise to moonrise for their husband's health and life.Betrothal · The weeks before
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Shinto wedding: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Karva Chauth: Iamwiki001, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ayyavazhi wedding: Vaikunda Raja, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Yajna: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Baci: Dalbera, CC BY 2.0, source
- Khanom Si Thuai: Siripitch Chaiyabutra, CC0, source
- Saptapadi: Bhumish143, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Alpana: Tripan123, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Navajo wedding ceremony: Neeta Lind, CC BY 2.0, source
- Slametan: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kenduri: Andreasprasetya, CC BY-SA 4.0, source