Why do we throw a hail of tiny white rice grains at the newly married couple as they make their way from the ceremony? Rice or grains symbolize fertility and are a symbol of prosperity. The wish was for the couple to have a family, and if your fields had a lot of grain growing in them, you were prosperous.

The rice toss is a symbolic wish to the just-married couple for a life of prosperity and fruitfulness, which to the ancients meant many children. As a blessing, guests shower the couple with rice as they exit the ceremony.