Rice Customs & Traditions

The harvesting of our stories are rooted in rituals and oral tradition. Many Asian cultures revere rice as a special link between the land (and/or the deities) and people. It is used in countless ceremonies and festivals to greet, attract blessings, bring prosperity and promote fertility.

Rice is said to be the first food offered by an Indian bride to her husband in lieu of a wedding cake, the latter being customary in many Western countries.

In China, young girls are told that each grain of rice they leave in their bowls will be the mark they should expect to find on the face of their future husbands.

In Japan and in the Philippines, there is a ritual-like process which surrounds the production and preparation of rice from seed selection to land preparation, water and nutrient management, harvesting and post-harvest to cite a few. One Japanese belief is that soaking rice before cooking gives the person who eats it a more peaceful soul as the life energy of the rice is released in the process.