The Feast of the Seven Fishes celebrated on Christmas Eve, also known as The Vigil is believed to have originated in Southern Italy and is not a known tradition in many parts of Italy. Today, it is a feast that typically consists of seven different seafood dishes. However, some Italian-American families have been known to celebrate with nine, eleven or thirteen different seafood dishes. This celebration commemorates the wait, Vigilia di Natale, for the midnight birth of the baby Jesus.
Tradition
The long tradition of eating seafood on Christmas Eve dates from the Roman Catholic tradition of abstinence ? in this case, refraining from the consumption of meat or milk products ? on Fridays, during Lent, and on the eve of specific holy days. As no meat or butter could be used on such days, observant Catholics would instead eat fish, typically fried in oil.
The "Feast of the Seven Fishes", a celebration of Christmas Eve with meals of fish and seafood, but there may be seven, eight, or even nine specific fishes that are considered traditional. The most famous dish Southern Italians are known for is baccal? (salted cod fish). Reasons for celebrating with such a simple fish as baccal? is attributed to the greatly impoverished regions of Southern Italy. Fried smelts, calamari and other types of seafood have been incorporated into the Christmas Eve dinner over the years.
Symbolism
There are many hypotheses for what the number "7" represents. Seven is the most repeated number in the Bible and appears over 700 times. Throughout the Bible, this number has been known to represent perfection or completion.
One popular theory is the number represents completion. For example, completion is shown in Genesis 2:2, when the Bible states "By the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." During the feast of the seven fishes, participants celebrate the completion of God's promise of the messiah through baby Jesus. It marks the completion of the Old Covenant and beginning of the New Covenant. The eating of seven fishes acknowledges God's completed promise.
However, there are many other popular theories. Many theorize that the number represents the seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. Another theory is that seven is a number representing perfection: the traditional Biblical number for divinity is three, and for Earth is four, and the combination of these numbers, seven, represents God on Earth, or Jesus Christ.
My 7 are as followed
Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Shrimp Cocktail
Baked Clams/Chowder
Oyster Rockefeller
Crab Puffs
Fried Smelt
Lobster
Merry Christmas
and may we all live in peace
grooven:0008
Tradition
The long tradition of eating seafood on Christmas Eve dates from the Roman Catholic tradition of abstinence ? in this case, refraining from the consumption of meat or milk products ? on Fridays, during Lent, and on the eve of specific holy days. As no meat or butter could be used on such days, observant Catholics would instead eat fish, typically fried in oil.
The "Feast of the Seven Fishes", a celebration of Christmas Eve with meals of fish and seafood, but there may be seven, eight, or even nine specific fishes that are considered traditional. The most famous dish Southern Italians are known for is baccal? (salted cod fish). Reasons for celebrating with such a simple fish as baccal? is attributed to the greatly impoverished regions of Southern Italy. Fried smelts, calamari and other types of seafood have been incorporated into the Christmas Eve dinner over the years.
Symbolism
There are many hypotheses for what the number "7" represents. Seven is the most repeated number in the Bible and appears over 700 times. Throughout the Bible, this number has been known to represent perfection or completion.
One popular theory is the number represents completion. For example, completion is shown in Genesis 2:2, when the Bible states "By the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." During the feast of the seven fishes, participants celebrate the completion of God's promise of the messiah through baby Jesus. It marks the completion of the Old Covenant and beginning of the New Covenant. The eating of seven fishes acknowledges God's completed promise.
However, there are many other popular theories. Many theorize that the number represents the seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. Another theory is that seven is a number representing perfection: the traditional Biblical number for divinity is three, and for Earth is four, and the combination of these numbers, seven, represents God on Earth, or Jesus Christ.
My 7 are as followed
Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Shrimp Cocktail
Baked Clams/Chowder
Oyster Rockefeller
Crab Puffs
Fried Smelt
Lobster
Merry Christmas
and may we all live in peace
grooven:0008
