CNA Staff, Dec 24, 2023 / 07:00 am
There are numerous Christmas Eve traditions families around the world take part in, whether it’s watching a certain movie together, baking cookies for Santa, opening one present before going to bed, or eating a specific meal for dinner. The Feast of the Seven Fishes — in Italian “La Vigilia,” which means “The Eve” — is one of these Christmas Eve traditions.
So, where does this tradition come from?
This feast stems from the southern part of Italy and spans generations. Before 1861, Italy was made up of different regions. Each region had its own government, however, and the southern regions were the poorest areas in the country. This remained true before and after the unification of the country. The new unified government allocated many of its resources to northern Italy, which caused poverty and organized crime in the south. Although poor, the area was plentiful in fish with it being so close to the ocean.
The tradition is also tied to the Catholic Church’s practice of not eating meat during certain times of the year — for example, on Fridays during Lent and on the eve of some holidays.