Saying Grace at mealtimes

[TheTecknician]

This is something that went on in my primary school (first two years only) nearly fifty years ago and I believe is still a custom among Christians, at least in the USA. I just wondered if it is also a custom beyond Christianity ? Obviously I wouldn't expect atheists to participate but perhaps Jews and Muslims as they are Abrahamic along with Christians?

I'm not religious myself, just curious. Thankyou.

If you are interested in other cultures/ religion, I went on a lovely holiday in South America. Our Quechua guide always said a little thank you wit a small offering before each meal. Now what I don't know is, if it was a little gimmick for tourists or genuine - guide said it was genuine but who knows 🤷

Same here @Coffeetostart same era.
Sometimes took my kids to messy church and at one lunch was included and the vicar would get them singing and clapping (to the Addams family tune) 'der der der de - for every cup and plateful, God make us truly grateful, forgive us when we're wasteful for we're all God's family...der der de - Amen.
Never heard that anywhere else tho.

Yes sometimes at big family gatherings someone might say the Selkirk Grace

otherwise no

@Coffeetostart and @Judellie - Thank you! I was beginning to think I was the only 1960s Mixed Infant in the world who'd had to sing "Thank you for the world so sweet..."

When we moved up to junior school, we learnt the much more grown-up sounding "For what we are about to receive..." which has stood me in good stead on the rare occasion in adult life that I've been required to say grace.

I went on to a secondary school which had started life in the 1870s as a boarding school for the daughters of missionaries, where which grace was said depended upon which teacher was in charge of the dining-room that day. The standard one was "For health and wealth and daily bread we give thee thanks, O Lord", but we had a Scottish physics teacher who occasionally delivered the Selkirk Grace with a mischievous glint in his eye.

We dreaded the headmistress doing it - she was a retired missionary herself and used to deliver very long graces in funereal tones while the food went cold. No matter how thankful we were supposed to be, her subtext was always that we were a miserable bunch of heathens and she wished she was anywhere else but with us!

That depends on the school. Mine are all adults now and it wasn't a thing when they were in primary so I'd be surprised if it's very common today.

I can't remember if it was a thing when I was in primary but we all went home for lunch so it would have only been at small break if there was anything. We did all have to stand and say a hail Mary at the start of every class in secondary school though.

I had lunch with some lovely Catholics from Malaysia recently
Food arrived and I started tucking in only to spot that they were all praying silently
Bit embarrasing but I spent a couple of days with them and had many meals, I just stayed silent and didn't eat until they finished praying

Thank-you @AreThereSomewhereIslands ! I am about as certain as I can be that I have not even thought about 'Thank-you for the world so sweet...' since I was at a mixed C of E infants in the 1960s but I have just recited every word without hesitating.

@IdaGlossop - you're very welcome. We actually sang it!

...A bit off-topic here, but did your mixed infants' school also end the day with a prayer? And if so, was it also "Now the day is over, night is drawing nigh"? I can still sing every word of that one without hesitation too.

Catholic education here.
Grace was standard at school.
We also had to say The Angelus but I can’t remember if that was daily or weekly.
Dsis is a nun so we say grace before and after meals when we’re together.
My dc and dgc are fascinated and dgs sometimes asks to make up his own grace.

We sang it too. My recitation, in my head, was also sung.

I don't believe we ended the day with a prayer. We did a lot of hymn singing in morning assembly and often sang the church school hymn 'When a knight won his spurs in the stories of old'. A chance encounter through work a few years ago with a woman who had been in my class at infants school reminded me of the hymn. We sang it together, laughing that we could remember all the verses.

Thank for for the world so sweet, thank you for the food we eat. Thank you for the birds that sing, thank you God for everything. Amen

Ah!!! Now that's the one we used to do at infants school in the 70s.

Have been trying to remember the words since seeing this thread.

My Grandsons' CofE Primary say Grace at lunch, both of them have started to say it before meals at home much to the amusement of their mum 😀

The last time I had Grace said for me as at the Annual Awards Dinner for DDs swim team. I have no reason why it happened and was very surprised as there had previously never been any religious links at all.

Before that it was my Cadet Annual Dinners with Grace said by the Padre.

A muslim family I used to know always said "bismillah" before starting a meal.

I'm a primary school supply teacher, and quite a few of the C of E and Catholic schools say a "lunchtime prayer" before eating.

Benedic domine nobis et his donis tuis quae de largitate tua sumus sumpturi.

Or something like that.

One of the loveliest things on the internet is Mandy Patinkin singing (Jewish) grace to his dog. And leaving a recording of it when he's away.

www.mediaite.com/entertainment/watch-mandy-patinkin-adorably-sings-pre-meal-prayers-to-his-dog-to-help-soothe-her-anxiety/

I was at a non religious school in the nineties north of England. We said Grace a lunch , the Lord's Prayer in assembly and sang a few hymns too.
All things bright and beautiful
Lord of the dance
Sing hosanna
All spring to mind, I still know them pretty much word for word.

He was gentle and brave, he was gallant gallant and bold,
with a shield on his arm and a lance in his hand,
for God and for valor he rode through the land

no charger have I and no sword by my side, yet still to adventure and battle I ride.
though back into story land giants have fled, and the knights are no more and the dragons are dead.

let faith be my shield and let joy be my steed,
against the of anger the ogres of greed
And let me set free with the sword of my youth, from the castle of darkness the power of truth.

I LOVED that hymn. Wish we still had it in church today. So my better than a slow paced “in Christ alone”

I loved it too. It made me feel strong and powerful, like the Knight, even though I was a girl

Good qualities promoted in it, that anyone, girl or boy could aspire to. Freedom, faith, truth, joy, against anger and greed.

A restaurant would be more like a church if every table (not the table literally) were to say grace.

It’s a nice thing … definitely don’t now but when I was attending ( what turned out to be a very abussive church in my teens) everybody did… except not my equally abussive family.
Occassionally “rub a dub dub thank god’s for the grub”

I also find the parking space prayer strangely effective “ Holy Mary , Mother of Grace, please find me a parking space”

We sang it too.
At the end of the day we sang:

Hands together, softly so,
Little eyes shut tight
Father, just before we go
Hear our prayers tonight.
We are all thy children here
This is what we pray:
Keep us when the dark is near
And through every day
Amen

Bless us, oh God, as we sit together
Bless the food we eat today
Bless the hands that made the food
Bless us each day,
Amen