THE ORIGIN OF RICE THROWING AT WEDDINGS.

Colonist, Volume XXX, Issue 5024, 6 October 1887, Page 4

THE ORIGIN OF RICE THROWING AT WEDDINGS.

The ' Chinese Times' gives the following version of the origin of triecustcin of throwing rice at weddings:—ln (ho days of the Shang dynasty, some.lsoo years before Christ, there lived in th province of Shansi a moet famous torceror called Oh a?. It happened | i

one day that a-Mr Pang camo to cohjj suit "the oracle and Chao, having divided by means of the tortoise diagram, informed the trembling Pang that he had but, six days to live. Now however much wo may tru9t the sagacity and skill of our family physician, wo may be excused if, ia a matter of i life and death, we call in a second doctor for a consultation, and in such a strait it is not to be wondered at that Pang should repair to another source, to make sure that thexe was no mis-! , take. To the fair Peachblossom he! ' went, a young lady who had .acquired { Eome reputation as a a sorceress, and j to the tender feminine heart unfolded the story of hia woe. Her divination yielded the same result as Chao's; in six days Pang should die, unless by the txercise of her magical powerj she could avert the catastrophe. Her efforts were successful, and on. the seventh day great was Chao's astonishment, and still greater his mortification and rage, when he met Pang taking his evening stroll; and learned that there lived a groat magician than he. The story would soon get about, and unless he could quickly put an end to his rival's existence his reputation would be ruined. And this was how Chao plotted against the life of Peachblossom. He sent a go-between to Peachblossdm's parents to enquire if their daughter was still unmarried, and receiving a reply in the affirmative, ho befooled the simple parents into believing that he'had a son who jwas seeking a wife and ultimately he induced them to engage Peachblossom; to him in marriage. Phe marriage cards were duly interchanged, but the crafty Chao had chosen the most unlucky day he could select for the wedding; the day whan the ' Golden Pheasant' was in the ascendant. Surely as the bride entered the red chair the spirit bird would destroy her wilh his powerful beak. But the wise Peachblossom knew all these things and feared not. ' I will not,' she said «I will fight and defeat him.' When the wedding morning came she gave directions to have rice thrown out at the door, which the spirit bird seeing made haste to devour, and while, his attention was thus occupied, Peachblossom stepped into the bridal chair and passed on her way unharmed. And now the ingenuous reader knows why he throws rice after the bride. If any interest has been engendered in his breast by this tale of the fair Peachblossom let him listen to That befell her at the house of the magician. Arrived at Chaos' house, no bridegroom was there, but an attendant was given her, and the two girls prepared to pass the night in the room assigned to them. Peachblossom was wakeful, for she knew that, when the night passed, the 'Golden Pheasant' would be succeeded by the evil star of the ' White Tiger,' whose power and ferocity who can tell! ' Go you to bed first,' she said to the maid. The girl was soon asleep, and still her mistress slept not i but continued to pace the room, and at midnight the tiger spirit came, and j the morning light showed Peachblossom still pacing the room, while on I the bed lay the lifeless body of the Utile maid. .Thus were the magio , and many more were there, until they took their flight to heaven, where now they reign as gods. And on earth the actors have not idols more prized than those of Peachblosssm and Chao King. ;