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== Family and household morning ==
Women, until relatively recently, were entrusted with the household rite, helped by the neighbours and particularly the first neighbour, ''lehen auzoa.'' . Meditation, silence, the wake and visits marked that time that was the start of the mourning period.
The corpse was washed, dressed and laid out on a bed, which was sometimes decorated. The room was prepared by covering the mirror, changing the candleholders and place settings, etc.; the cross that the first neighbour had collected from the church was placed on a seat covered with a special cloth, ''lonjera''. A dish with Holy Water and a Palm Sunday palm would be placed on a table to bless the deceased during the visits. A candle would be lit beside a crucifix or and an image of Our Lady on the bedside table. The presence of that light was essential and we have striven to differentiate between the types of “candles” and lights, along with their relative value at certain times and in different circumstances.
