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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why Rice Became The Go-To Sendoff For Newlyweds
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. From the bouquet toss, to the removal of the garter, to unique TikTok wedding cakes, weddings are filled with rituals (some easier to explain than others). On the food-related side of wedding-planning, brides and grooms might be thinking about how much food they need for their menu, the best (and worst) frosting choices for their wedding cake, or how to build a wedding charcuterie board. Today, we're exploring another centuries-old, food-centric matrimonial tradition: the rice throw. Rice is even a wedding prop for live performances of the cult classic "Rocky Horror Picture Show;" fans throw rice over their shoulders (not at the theatre screen!) as Ralph and Betty leave the church in the film's opening scene. Throwing rice at weddings is a ritual that traces back to the ancient Celts over 2,000 years ago. The Celts were an agriculture-centric civilization that placed high symbolic importance on grains and rice, and tossed the natural elements as an appeal to the gods to bestow blessings of abundance onto the new couple. Per the Celtic religion, the throwing of rice also warded off evil spirits that might be looking to cause mischief for the new couple on their special day. Tossing natural confetti isn't just a Celtic tradition, either. There are records of the ancient Romans throwing wheat at weddings, and Eastern Indian wedding-goers throwing flower petals. Either way, this ancient nuptial tradition pre-dates the Christian religion by several centuries. Read more: 13 International Dining Etiquette Rules We Should All Be Following Wedding Guests Have Been Throwing Rice As A Symbol Of Prosperity For Centuries The tradition goes that friends and family toss grains of rice at a newly-wedded couple as they exit the ceremony together. The rice throw typically takes place as the couple walks back down the aisle post-vows, or as they leave the church or venue together before the reception. Small paper cones of rice might be passed out to each guest, or a larger bowl filled with rice might be offered for everyone to grab a handful. So, why rice? For one thing, it's cheap and widely available. Rice is thought to have usurped cereal grains for the ritual sometime during the Middle Ages. On the metaphysical front, rice symbolizes fertility and prosperity, making it a natural fit for tiding well-wishes for the newly wedded couple, including good fortune and kiddos, if they want kids. Still, all that rice makes a mess. Many modern ceremonies pay a vendor to handle clean-up. But the loose rice poses a slipping and falling hazard, is tedious and annoying for the venue, and some think it's potentially harmful for the digestive systems of nearby animals. Depending on where the ceremony is held, some churches and venues don't allow a toss of any kind (rice, flower petals, forget about it). For these reasons, the rice throw tradition isn't as popular in the modern era as the staple once was in weddings of the past. Does The Rice Throw Hurt Birds? We would be remiss not to address the widespread misconception that has become linked with the wedding rice throw over the years: Uncooked rice hurts birds. So, does it? In a word, "no." The rumor traces back to 1985, when a Connecticut state legislator passed a bill that effectively outlawed the ritual, on the alleged grounds that uncooked rice kills birds. Even though the bill was not supported by Audubon bird experts, and doesn't carry any factual merit (ornithological studies have shown that uncooked rice doesn't hurt birds), the unflattering connotation has stuck. On the contrary, migrating birds such as ducks and geese are known to eat uncooked rice to fuel up before their travels. If anything, the rice throw has a greater potential to attract birds -- which can also throw a wrench into a smooth wedding day. In fact, in 2007, rice tosses were banned in Venice, Italy, for this very reason. At Venice's popular wedding destination St. Mark's Square, flocks of an estimated 40,000 pigeons, drawn by the rice, were regularly attending (and disrupting) ceremonies, perched and waiting for the anticipated rice throw. Pro tip: For folks who admire the rice toss tradition but are hosting an outdoor wedding, seeds, herbs, and dried flowers make a more environmentally-friendly confetti. Guests could also wave ribbon wands, sparklers, ring bells, or blow bubbles as the new couple exits the ceremony, preserving the well-wishes sendoff. Or, why not just throw birdseed? If you're curious, here are a few other wedding food traditions from around the world. Read the original article on Tasting Table.
CNN
23-07-2025
- CNN
A secret tunnel city hidden under Rome's ancient heart is being revealed
There's a reason archaeologist Ersilia D'Ambrosio can scarcely contain her excitement as she leads the way through dimly lit passageways deep below the Capitoline Hill that was once at the heart of ancient Rome: In a city where almost every historic treasure has been laid bare, this vast subterranean labyrinth is an undiscovered world. 'No one has seen these caves and tunnels for more than a century,' D'Ambrosio tells CNN, plunging further into the gloom. These chambers, which cover around 42,000 square feet, or 3,900 square meters — roughly three-quarters the area of an American football field — lie in an area beneath the Ancient Roman Forum and the 2,000-year-old Marcello Theater. At its deepest point, one of the caves extends about 985 feet below the surface. Known as the Grottino del Campidoglio, or Capitoline Grotto, these tunnels have been part of the fabric of Rome even since before the days of Julius Caesar, despite being forgotten in recent generations. Comprehensively developed in the Middle Ages, they were in continuous use until the 1920s, at various times housing entire communities, shops, taverns, restaurants and, in World War II, people sheltering from falling Allied bombs. Above ground, on the steamy morning in July when CNN was granted exclusive access to the cavern network, tourists sweated in temperatures of 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius) as they explored the Capitoline Square, designed by Michelangelo in the 16th century, and the Capitoline Museums complex. Seventy-five feet below, in the grotto, it's decidedly cooler at around 55F, with the damp air causing condensation to glitter on some of the tunnel surfaces. Some of the passages are neatly constructed and lined with bricks, a sign of their development and use in the 19th century. Others are more roughly hewn from tuff, a soft volcanic rock from which the famous Seven Hills of Rome are formed. Walking through the tunnels is a trip back in time, with Rome's complex layers of history laid bare. Today, nearly a century after they were mostly sealed off under orders from Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, the tunnels have been strung with illuminations, while scaffolding and other construction paraphernalia point to the fact that they are no longer abandoned. In fact, work is now underway to prepare the network for visitors. In late 2026 or early 2027, the tunnels will open as one of Rome's newest historical tourist attractions. For now, even for the experts working to get them ready, entering the Grottino del Campidoglio is still a journey of discovery. Despite much of the area, including the Imperial and Roman forums and the Colosseum nearby, undergoing extensive renovations in recent years, the tunnels have remained untouched. D'Ambrosio says the grotto visitor experience is designed to combine archaeology and speleology, and will attract a different type of visitor from those who focus on the more well-known sites above ground. 'This is an esoteric experience in many ways,' she adds. Although she's built a long career on sites like these, D'Ambrosio manages the administration aspects of this particular project, but says her real love is getting her hands dirty. There is still plenty for visitors to marvel at. Gazing up at a void reaching high above one block-lined tunnel, it's possible to see the white marble foundation of the Temple of Jupiter, another Capitoline Hill treasure completed in the 6th century BCE. The subterranean complex served many purposes over the centuries, first as stone quarries and later as water cisterns before eventually housing commercial structures and warehouses. In the 19th century, the caverns were once the economic epicenter of a working-class community that lived in modest public housing built along the flanks of the hill. German literary giant Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is said to have fallen in love with a woman who worked in one of the taverns, writing about the experience in his travelogue 'Italian Journey.' Little detail is known about exactly what each of the underground caverns held or when, but etchings by 18th-century Italian classical archaeologist and artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi show it as a lively part of the city center. Mussolini tore down the housing and filled some of the tunnels with dirt to stabilize the hill above as part of his grand revitalization plan to modernize the Italian capital. During World War II, a small section was used as air raid shelters, complete with heavy fortified doors. Visible in the tunnels, as well as street numbers, are signs pointing to various 'gabinetto' or bathrooms, likely used during the area's phase as a sanctuary from falling bombs. Work to open up this subterranean world to visitors is being completed in phases. Prior to clearing out the caves and tunnels, archaeologists used laser scanning to map the spaces and record marks left during previous excavation work. Photographic and video exhibitions of the work done will be part of a permanent display throughout the tunnel complex. 'The proposed interventions are aimed, on the one hand, at safeguarding the monument, through the restoration and safety of the structures, and, on the other, at enhancing its accessibility and usability, which is currently extremely limited,' according to the Insula architecture group, which is leading the project. 'The Campidoglio Grottoes project envisions conservative restoration and enhancement of the underground passageways and cavities that wind through the hill, crossing it in various directions and on multiple levels.' The work to make it safe for tourists also includes managing radon gas, which is naturally released from the volcanic rock that is being disturbed in the restoration process. Workers are constantly tested for levels of exposure, and the time they spend in the caves is limited. Specialized filters will be installed to scrub the air before the site opens to the public, says Antonio Collazzo, an archaeologist involved in the project. 'This will be managed with a forced ventilation system.' Once the $2.8-million undertaking is complete, there will be a museum space on an upper level, while entrance to the tunnels will be tightly controlled, with visitors led by guides to ensure their safety and the integrity of the delicate structure. Disabled access will also be added. There will be displays of ancient stone artifacts and a variety of pots and vases found buried in the dirt that were likely used by merchants for everything from olive oil to wine. Also visible will be metal rings attached to the walls, thought to have been used to tether animals brought down into the cave complex. Artifacts and materials that were recovered during previous excavations of the area and stored in the Capitoline museum warehouses above have been brought down to the tunnels to be studied in their original context, D'Ambrosia says. 'To an archaeologist everything is interesting,' she says. But only pieces likely to interest visitors are likely to remain in situ. Even with all the current work going on, from above, there is little evidence on Capitoline Hill that there's an extensive network of caves and tunnels below it. But Ambrosio is confident they will soon be a major attraction in a city with no shortage of them. 'The area has never before been opened to the public as it will be,' Ambrosio says. 'It was utilized by the population, used as warehouses, shops, taverns, but never as a site to visit as it will be.'
CNN
23-07-2025
- CNN
A secret tunnel city hidden under Rome's ancient heart is being revealed
History uncoveredFacebookTweetLink Follow There's a reason archaeologist Ersilia D'Ambrosio can scarcely contain her excitement as she leads the way through dimly lit passageways deep below the Capitoline Hill that was once at the heart of ancient Rome: In a city where almost every historic treasure has been laid bare, this vast subterranean labyrinth is an undiscovered world. 'No one has seen these caves and tunnels for more than a century,' D'Ambrosio tells CNN, plunging further into the gloom. These chambers, which cover around 42,000 square feet, or 3,900 square meters — roughly three-quarters the area of an American football field — lie in an area beneath the Ancient Roman Forum and the 2,000-year-old Marcello Theater. At its deepest point, one of the caves extends about 985 feet below the surface. Known as the Grottino del Campidoglio, or Capitoline Grotto, these tunnels have been part of the fabric of Rome even since before the days of Julius Caesar, despite being forgotten in recent generations. Comprehensively developed in the Middle Ages, they were in continuous use until the 1920s, at various times housing entire communities, shops, taverns, restaurants and, in World War II, people sheltering from falling Allied bombs. Above ground, on the steamy morning in July when CNN was granted exclusive access to the cavern network, tourists sweated in temperatures of 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius) as they explored the Capitoline Square, designed by Michelangelo in the 16th century, and the Capitoline Museums complex. Seventy-five feet below, in the grotto, it's decidedly cooler at around 55F, with the damp air causing condensation to glitter on some of the tunnel surfaces. Some of the passages are neatly constructed and lined with bricks, a sign of their development and use in the 19th century. Others are more roughly hewn from tuff, a soft volcanic rock from which the famous Seven Hills of Rome are formed. Walking through the tunnels is a trip back in time, with Rome's complex layers of history laid bare. Today, nearly a century after they were mostly sealed off under orders from Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, the tunnels have been strung with illuminations, while scaffolding and other construction paraphernalia point to the fact that they are no longer abandoned. In fact, work is now underway to prepare the network for visitors. In late 2026 or early 2027, the tunnels will open as one of Rome's newest historical tourist attractions. For now, even for the experts working to get them ready, entering the Grottino del Campidoglio is still a journey of discovery. Despite much of the area, including the Imperial and Roman forums and the Colosseum nearby, undergoing extensive renovations in recent years, the tunnels have remained untouched. D'Ambrosio says the grotto visitor experience is designed to combine archaeology and speleology, and will attract a different type of visitor from those who focus on the more well-known sites above ground. 'This is an esoteric experience in many ways,' she adds. Although she's built a long career on sites like these, D'Ambrosio manages the administration aspects of this particular project, but says her real love is getting her hands dirty. There is still plenty for visitors to marvel at. Gazing up at a void reaching high above one block-lined tunnel, it's possible to see the white marble foundation of the Temple of Jupiter, another Capitoline Hill treasure completed in the 6th century BCE. The subterranean complex served many purposes over the centuries, first as stone quarries and later as water cisterns before eventually housing commercial structures and warehouses. In the 19th century, the caverns were once the economic epicenter of a working-class community that lived in modest public housing built along the flanks of the hill. German literary giant Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is said to have fallen in love with a woman who worked in one of the taverns, writing about the experience in his travelogue 'Italian Journey.' Little detail is known about exactly what each of the underground caverns held or when, but etchings by 18th-century Italian classical archaeologist and artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi show it as a lively part of the city center. Mussolini tore down the housing and filled some of the tunnels with dirt to stabilize the hill above as part of his grand revitalization plan to modernize the Italian capital. During World War II, a small section was used as air raid shelters, complete with heavy fortified doors. Visible in the tunnels, as well as street numbers, are signs pointing to various 'gabinetto' or bathrooms, likely used during the area's phase as a sanctuary from falling bombs. Work to open up this subterranean world to visitors is being completed in phases. Prior to clearing out the caves and tunnels, archaeologists used laser scanning to map the spaces and record marks left during previous excavation work. Photographic and video exhibitions of the work done will be part of a permanent display throughout the tunnel complex. 'The proposed interventions are aimed, on the one hand, at safeguarding the monument, through the restoration and safety of the structures, and, on the other, at enhancing its accessibility and usability, which is currently extremely limited,' according to the Insula architecture group, which is leading the project. 'The Campidoglio Grottoes project envisions conservative restoration and enhancement of the underground passageways and cavities that wind through the hill, crossing it in various directions and on multiple levels.' The work to make it safe for tourists also includes managing radon gas, which is naturally released from the volcanic rock that is being disturbed in the restoration process. Workers are constantly tested for levels of exposure, and the time they spend in the caves is limited. Specialized filters will be installed to scrub the air before the site opens to the public, says Antonio Collazzo, an archaeologist involved in the project. 'This will be managed with a forced ventilation system.' Once the $2.8-million undertaking is complete, there will be a museum space on an upper level, while entrance to the tunnels will be tightly controlled, with visitors led by guides to ensure their safety and the integrity of the delicate structure. Disabled access will also be added. There will be displays of ancient stone artifacts and a variety of pots and vases found buried in the dirt that were likely used by merchants for everything from olive oil to wine. Also visible will be metal rings attached to the walls, thought to have been used to tether animals brought down into the cave complex. Artifacts and materials that were recovered during previous excavations of the area and stored in the Capitoline museum warehouses above have been brought down to the tunnels to be studied in their original context, D'Ambrosia says. 'To an archaeologist everything is interesting,' she says. But only pieces likely to interest visitors are likely to remain in situ. Even with all the current work going on, from above, there is little evidence on Capitoline Hill that there's an extensive network of caves and tunnels below it. But Ambrosio is confident they will soon be a major attraction in a city with no shortage of them. 'The area has never before been opened to the public as it will be,' Ambrosio says. 'It was utilized by the population, used as warehouses, shops, taverns, but never as a site to visit as it will be.'
Fox News
20-07-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Ancient Roman emperor Caligula had an unexpected interest in medicinal plants, historians find
Caligula, the ancient Roman emperor infamous for his insanity and cruelty, may have had a soft spot for plants, according to recently published research. A new study co-authored by Trevor Luke, a professor of classics at Florida State University, centers on an overlooked anecdote by the Roman historian Suetonius involving Caligula and an ailing senator. The account indicates that the unnamed Roman senator traveled to the Greek town of Antikyra to be treated with the medicinal plant hellebore, which is now considered poisonous. Though the treatments were not necessarily expensive, reaching Antikyra – and staying there – was. When the senator asked Caligula if he could stay longer, the much-hated leader had him executed — claiming it was "necessary, for one whom hellebore had not benefited in all that time." The story indicates that Caligula had some knowledge of medicinal plants – a prospect that intrigued Luke, who spoke with Fox News Digital about his research. When asked if he was surprised by Caligula's interest in plants, Luke replied, "Yes and no." "I knew Caligula had a reputation for being a prolific poisoner, and such a murderer might be expected to possess a detailed knowledge of the properties of toxic plants," Luke said. "Antikyra may be the first known destination in Greece for Roman medical tourists." "That said, murder by poisoning was a common theme in ancient literature about bad rulers and their families," the historian added. Luke said that, as he dug into more ancient sources and archaeological studies, he noticed mounting evidence of Caligula's interest in medicinal plants – which he wasn't expecting. Alexander the Great, Attalus III of Pergamon and Mithradates VI Eupator are other ancient leaders who took an interest in plants, Luke said — with Caligula possibly consulting pharmacological a text attributed to Mithradates. Study co-author Andrew Koh noted that Antikyra was similar to the modern-day Mayo Clinic, drawing faraway people to the port by offering treatments for relentless illnesses. "In other words, Antikyra may be the first known destination in Greece for Roman medical tourists," Luke said. "When we think of a brand-name destination for innovative and effective medical treatments, the name Mayo Clinic immediately springs to mind, just as the name Antikyra did in the minds of ancient inhabitants of the Roman Empire for similar reasons." He notes that Antikyra healers added a locally grown plant called sesamoides to their hellebore recipes, making them the safest and most effective purgative treatments at the time. So, was the Roman emperor a "plant nerd" in the modern sense? Luke told Fox News Digital that he doesn't mind that label, but added that Caligula's interest in the healing and harming power of plants wasn't just a hobby. "At the same time, any concern he had regarding assassination by poison was justifiable in the circumstances," Luke said, pointing to the suspicious deaths of several family members, including his father-in-law Germanicus and brother-in-law Lepidus. The classicist added, "[Caligula's] family members took up the study of poisons and their antidotes … It seems to me that the motive of self-defense behind Caligula's study of plants is different from just being a nerd." Above all, Luke suggested that modern readers should read ancient sources like Suetonius with a critical eye, noting that his stories about Caligula were "skillfully organized … in such a way that they shocked readers." "Shock does not lead to a clear perception of the facts," Luke said. "When I pursue the facts behind some of the most outrageous stories about Caligula, I often find Suetonius has deftly distorted what likely happened."
Times
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Feasts, board games and brawls — life as a Colosseum spectator
For every Flamma, a Syrian gladiator who fought during the reign of Hadrian (34 matches, with 21 wins, nine draws and four reprieves) there was a flop. And when the answer to the question 'are you not entertained?' was 'no, not really', the Colosseum took matters into its own hands. A new exhibition in the underground tunnels of ancient Rome's great bear pit turns our gaze away from the gladiators and wild animals to focus on the spectators who spent hours in the amphitheatre, not just enjoying the bloodshed but munching on elaborate meals, playing board games, and carving graffiti of what they had seen. Among the highlights of the display, which completes the renovation of the underground area of the arena, is a lead tablet, the tabulae defixionis, bearing curses thought to be aimed at an unloved gladiator. The 50,000 spectators who filled the seats of the world's largest amphitheatre — the construction of which was ordered by the Emperor Vespasian in 72 AD and completed by his son and successor, Titus, eight years later — were known for the ferocity of their cheering, for betting on the outcome of fights and embracing the heroes that emerged, as slaves fought to the death for glory and, possibly, their freedom. However, for every rock star of the arena — Flamma turned down his freedom four times, beholden to the adulation — there were gladiators who cost the crowd money. A surviving example of the tablet ended up in the sewers and has been recovered two millennia later by archaeologists. Researchers strained to work out the content, which appears to contain an image of a shield, an abbreviation of a Latin word for pig and lightning bolts around a dried up tree. Undoubtedly, researchers concluded, an unfriendly message dating from the 3rd or 4th century AD and directed at a particular gladiator. The exhibition, which is open to the public in the eastern underground section of the Colosseum, complements a display on the life and equipment of the gladiators which opened in 2023 under the western side of the arena. The clues to the lives of ordinary Romans were recovered from 70 metres of drain excavated by archaeologists and speleologists working together in challenging conditions in 2022 and are now on display for the first time. 'We filtered the archaeological earth for every kind of refuse, even the smallest and apparently least significant,' said Federica Rinaldi, the director of the Colosseum site. The record of the daily pursuits of the Roman public was preserved in part because of declining standards of sewer maintenance in later years and by damage to underground structures from earthquakes in the 5th and 6th centuries. With games lasting for hours and sometimes for several days in a row, objects filtered from the earth reveal that women passed the time by weaving, sewing and attending to their personal appearance. A wooden loom shuttle, needles, hairpins and wooden combs were among the items found. Men devoted themselves to board games, carved on to the marble of the cavea — the semi-circular seating area — with lost dice and coins believed to have bounced off the stone and found their way into the nether regions of the amphitheatre. The smaller coins that were common in the last years of the empire, when inflation was rampant, were particularly easy to lose. In contrast, a larger gold-like orichalcum coin, an amalgam of copper and zinc, testifies to the munificence of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, struck to celebrate the tenth anniversary of his reign, which lasted from 161 AD until his death in 180 AD. The writer Suetonius recounts that Domitian, the emperor from 81 AD to 96 AD, had baskets of food distributed to the public between performances, while the poet Martial described the plebs consuming pork, chicken, pigeon, bass and moray eel on the steps of the amphitheatre. On display are oyster and clam shells, small animal bones, fruit pips and melon seeds, confirming that anything from a snack to a full meal was part of the games experience. Barbara Nazzaro, the technical director of the Colosseum, said a day out at the games was not unlike modern families going for a picnic. It was likely that people took food from home as well as consuming street food bought near the amphitheatre. But a family outing to watch the bloodsports didn't mean it was always a family-friendly affair. Fans could be agitated in support of their chosen gladiator school and public order at times a problem. 'There were certainly brawls from time to time. The amphitheatres were generally built outside the city walls, as a security precaution,' Nazzaro said.
