popular beliefs. In many cultures relatives will scatter rice during or towards the end of a wedding ceremony in front of the bride and groom. The pounded rice ritual is conducted during weddings in Nepal. The bride gives a leafplate full of pounded rice to the groom after he requests it politely from her. In the Philippines rice wine, popularly known as tapuy, is used for important occasions such as weddings, rice harvesting ceremonies and other celebrations. Dewi Sri is the traditional rice goddess of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese people in Indonesia. Most rituals involving Dewi Sri are associated with the mythical origin attributed to the rice plant, the staple food of the region. In Thailand, a similar rice deity is known as Phosop; she is a deity more related to ancient local folklore than a goddess of a structured, mainstream religion. The same female rice deity is known as Po Ino Nogar in Cambodia and as Nang Khosop in Laos. Ritual offerings are made during the different stages of rice production to propitiate the Rice Goddess in the corresponding cultures. A 2014 study of Han Chinese communities found that a history of farming rice makes cultures more psychologically interdependent, whereas a history of farming wheat makes cultures more independent. A Royal Ploughing Ceremony is held in certain Asian countries to mark the beginning of the rice planting season. It is still honored in the kingdoms of Cambodia and Thailand. The 2,600-year-old tradition begun by Śuddhodana in Kapilavastu was revived in the republic of Nepal in 2017 after a lapse of a few years. Thai king Vajiralongkorn released five particular rice varieties to celebrate his coronation. See also Artificial rice Glutinous rice List of dried foods List of rice cultivars List of rice dishes Maratelli rice Mushroom production on rice straw Leaf Color Chart Post-harvest losses Puffed rice Rice Belt Rice bran oil Rice bread Rice wine Rice writing Rijsttafel Risotto Straw System of Rice Intensification Texas rice production Upland rice Wild rice Notes References Further reading External links International Rice Research Institute Crops originating from China Grasses of Asia Plant models Types of food Tropical agriculture