handfuls of pasta thrown in place of rice
A change to tradition this morning in Barga Vecchia when the guests at a wedding in the Comune threw not just the usual handfuls of rice*, to wish the newlyweds good luck but the added ingredient of handfuls of pasta. Tagliatelli and farfale rained down on the happy couple before they were whisked off to their reception. All in all it was a memorable wedding not least for the mother of the bride would slipped during the ceremony and was unfortunately taken to hospital by ambulance. *Since
early Roman times some grain - usually wheat - has been associated
with the wedding ceremony. The basis for the predominant theory
as to why rice and other grains, such as wheat, have played
a prominent role in marriage ceremonies for centuries, is
that they are fraught with symbolism of fertility and of prosperity.
By throwing rice at the bride and groom at a wedding, guests
symbolically wish them a lifetime full of these blessings.
Historically, in certain primitive tribal cultures, the mere
act of supping on rice together bound a couple in matrimony,
as eating this local food together implied their living together.
In other cultures, the symbolic eating of rice together preceded
a shower of rice over the married couple. Perhaps the most
curious use of rice in the wedding ceremony, was its use in
some cultures not to unite the happy couple, but to feed the
uninvited evil spirits who always attended the ceremony. The
rationale behind this practice was to ward off evil, as well-fed
evil spirits would bring no harm to the blissful couple |
