Feast of the Seven Fishes facts for kids

The Feast of the Seven Fishes (called Festa dei sette pesci in Italian) is a special Italian-American tradition. It's a big meal held on Christmas Eve. During this celebration, families enjoy many different dishes made with fish and other seafood. It's a way to celebrate before Christmas Day.

A Special Christmas Eve Meal

The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a big part of how Italian-American families celebrate Christmas Eve. In Italy, it's not called a "feast" in the same way. It's more like a very large meal. Christmas Eve is traditionally a day of waiting and fasting. People would avoid eating meat until Christmas Day itself. So, they would eat lots of seafood instead.

This tradition comes from Southern Italy. There, it's known as The Vigil (La Vigilia). This name means "the wait." It celebrates waiting for the birth of baby Jesus at midnight on Christmas Eve. Italian immigrants brought this tradition to the United States. They started it in places like Little Italy in New York City in the late 1800s.

Why Eat Fish on Christmas Eve?

The long tradition of eating seafood on Christmas Eve comes from the Roman Catholic faith. For many years, Catholics would not eat meat on the evening before a special feast day. This was a way of showing respect and preparing for the holiday. Since meat or animal fat could not be used, people would eat fish instead. Often, the fish was fried in oil.

The Meaning of "Seven Fishes"

It's not clear when or where the name "Feast of the Seven Fishes" became popular. The meal usually includes seven or more different fish dishes. However, the idea of "seven fishes" as a fixed number or name is not known in Italy itself. In some Italian-American families, they don't even count the number of fish dishes.

A very well-known dish is baccalà (salted cod fish). Eating a simple fish like baccalà was common in poorer parts of Southern Italy. It also depended on what fish was available during that time of year. Over the years, other seafood like fried smelts and calamari have become part of the Christmas Eve dinner.

The number seven might come from the seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. Or it could be from the seven hills of Rome. There is no single answer everyone agrees on for why it's "seven."

What Foods Are Served?

The meal can include many different types of seafood. Some common choices are anchovies, whiting, lobster, sardines, baccalà (dried salt cod), smelts, eels, squid, octopus, shrimp, mussels, and clams. The meal might also have pasta, vegetables, baked goods, and wine.

Popular Dishes to Try

Cannoli are often served as a sweet treat at the Feast of the Seven Fishes.