Every family has their own traditions, some unique to themselves and some to their culture. These traditions are carried down through the years as something to look forward to making better every year. The holiday season is the time most traditions are made, and one my family does every year is the Italian feast of the seven fishes on Christmas Eve. 


Rosaria Rielly

The feast of the seven fishes on Christmas Eve is one of the most popular Italian traditions in America, yet is not widely celebrated in Italy. It is mostly seen in southern Italy and Sicily, where fish is the most abundant, and each area celebrates in their own way. It was brought to America in the early 1900s when immigrants wanted to stay connected to their culture. 

It started through the Catholic tradition of abstaining from eating meat or animal products on Holy days and Fridays through the  year. Christmas Eve is one of the most Holy days of the year, which resulted in Southern Italians cooking up meals of fish with oil, because of the abundant access, leading to the tradition.

Why the Number 7

While the modern tradition is to eat seven fishes, the actual reason behind the number seven is not completely clear. Some believe the number seven represents the days in a week, the seven sacraments, or the seven deadly sins. Numbers like 12, to represent the number of Apostles, 9, 11, or 13 are all numbers commonly used as well for different families. 

Popular Dishes

Rosaria Rielly

From the feast of the seven fishes, the most common fish dishes to be prepared are baccala, cod fish balls, fried smelts, calamari, marinated eel, cod, and shrimp, but other dishes include stuffed clams, octopus, muscles, scallops, etc. The tradition could be that these fishes are all prepared in different meals, or where each meal represents a different type of fish. 

The types of dishes can be made in a multitude of ways, or the fishes can even be combined together to create new types of dishes. The premise of the feast is to try little bits of each meal, so that they are more like appetizers to taste everything, but with the abundance you do not have to worry about leaving hungry.


After the traditions of the feast of the seven fishes on Christmas Eve with friends and family, we usually have either homemade lasagna or baked ham on Christmas day, a day that is much more casual than Christmas Eve.

Rosaria Rielly

Another tradition we celebrate is making Italian Anise cookies every year as they are a family favorite. The recipe we use is from my great grandma, and for that reason, we call them Nonna cookies, which means grandma in Italian. We enjoy these cookies on both Christmas Eve and Christmas day, and throughout the holiday season. 

The Italian feast of the seven fishes is a tradition celebrated every year in mostly Southern Italy and in Italian-Americans throughout the United States. However, one does not have to be Italian to celebrate this tradition. Every family has their own sets and ideas for traditions that are made special through celebrating each year, especially through the holiday season.