By Kayla Garritano
If you’ve been to an Italian-American Christmas Eve, you may have heard of the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Also called Christmas Eve Fish Dinner or the Vigil, the idea isto have a meatless dinner, serving seven different types of fish. And while seven is the theme, many people prepare feasts in other odd numbers, such as three, eleven, or thirteen. With a tradition running so deep for years, you can’t help but wonder how this came about.
Its origin is believed to have come from the Roman Catholic practice of fasting before the observance of certain church feast days, including Christmas, which is the feast celebrating the birth of Jesus. Traditionally, the 24 hours before Christmas (aka Christmas Eve) were a period
of fasting for Catholics, including abstaining from meat.
However, in southern Italy, seafood was abundant as well as relatively cheap, eventually evolving into families breaking fast with a large fish meal. Today, it is no longer required to fast and abstain from meat before Christmas, but the tradition of a Christmas Eve fish dinner has lived on.
While the feast began in Italy, the tradition made its way to the United States from the Italian-Americans emigrating from Sicily and other southern regions of Italy in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The first known printed mention of the Feast of the Seven Fishes here in America was in the 1980s by a Philadelphia newspaper.
Now we know its history, but why was seven the chosen
number of fish for this meal?
Seven is considered to be symbolic. Many people believe that it refers to the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church or the Seven Hills of Rome. However, some religious meanings have also been applied to other odd numbers, such as nine dishes for the Holy Trinity times three.
Fast forward many years, and families have taken the tradition and made it their own, whether through different types of fish, different fish dishes, or different ways of preparing the fish. However, there are two consistencies that carry the tradition: the involvement of extended family, including friends and other members of the community, and the serving of an odd number of dishes for good luck.
So whether you’re looking to eat lobster, cod, calamari, fish sticks, or whatever you choose, you are surrounded by those who matter most to you and can share this blessed feast with. As the Italians say, “Buon Appetito!”
