"Why do you throw bird seed and blow bubbles at weddings?"
"Humans used to throw dry rice, but that would swell up in the crops of birds and make them very sick or even kill them. This is a lot safer." -- The New Guy
"There's also confetti that will grow wildflowers, but the park wouldn't let them be part of this ceremony."
"Some ceremonies just flat-out throw bird food suitable to the locals. As long as it doesn't stain the celebrants' clothing of course."
Companion Kam arrived at the slow realisation that the Humans were talking to them as if they already knew all the details about complicated Human ceremonies in general, and the specific one that they had just attended. "That is not a suitable response to the question I asked."
"Oh you want the long and complicated, not the short and easy," crowed Human Troy, already divesting herself of some of her ceremonial headgear. "Boiled down to lies-to-children level? Uh... people used to throw grains as part of a fertility thing, and rice became the cheapest grain available."
"And then Humanity learned that rice could hurt the birds that tried to eat it," added Human Beck, as ze escaped hir cufflinks. "We have way more empathy for cute animals so we changed our ideas about what to throw practically overnight. Ways for the guests to wish the celebrants well, and Humans like to throw stuff."
"The symbology hasn't really changed, even if the biology won't necessarily match."
"Though instead of babies, it's generally to wish the couple success and a happy life."
"There's absolute manuals about what we do and why we do it," complained Troy, rolling her eyes. "It's a big ceremony, and pretty rare, so... y'know, make it one worth all the build-up."
"Mostly to make us say, Thank the Powers it's over, let's not have to do that again," quipped Beck.
"Wanna hear all about the cake?" asked Troy in perilous enthusiasm.
"I would rather eat the cake," said Kam.
[Photo by Cristina Glebova on Unsplash]
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