A ritual is an action that is repeated frequently, in a form known in advance. This repetitiveness has a soothing effect on people. There is a ritual to meals: the preparation of the food, the setting of the table, the saying of prayers before the meal, and the serving of the food.

Rituals make difficult times easier. The common eating of food eases the tension that may be there, especially at a large dinner party. People will seem less self-conscious and concentrate on the meal.

The sharing of food may be the oldest ritual of humankind. Families have gathered together for meals for 2 million or so years. The return of the hunters in the protohominid societies was greeted by a hungry family, eager to share in the food brought home.

All societies have some celebrations that involve the sharing of food, days like weddings, funerals, and birthdays. All celebrations of this type have rituals that are followed or reworked as needed. Some are formal, some are more relaxed, but all are rituals just the same.

Every modern culture has a custom of eating meals at a regular time. It is often part of the manners of society not to eat between these set meal times. This controls not only the time of the meals but also the space of time between them. In this way, every shared family meal is turned into a small feast or festival. It is a celebration of the connectedness of the family and the self-control of the members of that family.

We have a link with the goddess and god through food. We say prayers before eating, a remnant of Pagan sacrifices common in ancient Sumer, Greece, and Rome, among other places. Sacrifices not necessarily being animals killed for the purpose. Grains, fruit, berries, etc. were also considered sacrifices. Food was burned in offering or put in bowls before statues. Burying, or even throwing the food into the air were also methods of offering. Food was seen as a gift from the deities, a gift to be shared with the givers of such bounty. Humans also prayed to their goddesses and gods to protect the harvest from natural disasters. For sparing the food supply of the people the deities were offered part of the harvest.

There has been a connection between religion and food since these ancient times. Scattered around the old country, you will find temples, sanctuaries and other religious structures. These were used to map the movement of the sun and moon and the influence these planetary bodies had on crops. Stonehenge and Avebury in England records a time when people tried to explain and study the cycles of nature. Survival of all depended upon successful harvests. This created a mystical bond with earth from which food was derived. Food meant life, and so was sacred.

The dining room is a special place. It is a place of eating and giving thanks. It is a room for the gathering of friends and family. Prepare a meal, set the table, and let the rituals begin.