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Saying a prayer before meals at home was common practice throughout the Basque Country until a few decades ago. It was also common to make the sign of the cross before breakfast, an afternoon snack or a light repast.

Even though those practices still continue in some families, the ritual of blessing the table is, in general, limited to meals and feasts to mark a family event, Christmas Eve dinner, anniversaries, etc.

There were people who still recalled that the peals of the church bells marked the divisions of the day in rural communities. The ringing of those bells at midday announced the "Angelus", which also indicated the end of the morning work. Many homes waited for those peals to begin the meal that started with saying the "Angelus" prayer.

The blessing of the table takes place once the dinners are seated. In the past, men removed their headwear and women tried to keep the young children still, quiet and with their hands together during the prayer.

Traditionally, the blessing was said by an older member of the family.

Saying a "Pater noster" was the most common way to bless the table. This supplication is made up of three prayers: an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be. The person leading the prayer would say alone the first part of each prayer and the other people at the table answered by reciting the second part.