Feast of the Seven Fishes

By: Vanessa Greaves

Celebrate Christmas Eve in the traditional Southern Italian style--with seafood seven ways. Buon Natale!

Why Seven Fishes?

The number seven is thought to stand for the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church.

Your Turn

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On December 24 Italian families all over the world gather together for La Viglia di Natale--the Christmas vigil--where fish is on the menu instead of meat. Also called The Feast of the Seven Fishes, the ritual of La Viglia has been handed down from generation to generation and serves as a living connection to a centuries-old tradition.

La Viglia's favored dishes may vary from family to family, but you will likely find an array of seafood that includes the freshest catch-of-the-day as well as clams, oysters, mussels, squid, shrimp, and lobster. Vegetables such as broccoli rabe and kale often round out the meal, and dessert can be anything from a simple cake to a staggering display of sweets. With its roots in religious observance, La Viglia customarily ends by attending midnight Mass.