What is the traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner?

In Italy, Christmas Eve dinner is traditionally lighter with no meat and a lot of seafood, while the Italian-American meal has evolved into much more of a feast. Bring on the sword fish, tuna, salmon, octopus salad, smelts, calamari, spaghetti with clam sauce and the famous Italian classic—salted cod, known as baccalà.

What are the 7 traditional fishes Christmas Eve Italian?

This pasta involves seven fish: clams, mussels, halibut, shrimp, anchovy, calamari and scallops. It's nice to have a whole fish, head and tail included, to signify abundance.

How is Christmas Eve celebrated in Italy?

According to Italians, Christmas Eve or 'La Vigilia' is the most important day of the Christmas period. At midnight in Rome on December 24th, church bells are rung throughout the city at the same time as cannons are fired from 'Castel Sant'Angelo' to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus.

What do Italian Catholics eat Christmas Eve?

What are 3 traditions in Italy?

Italian Christmas Eve Dinner 2006

What are some Italian Christmas traditions?

One old Italian custom is that children go out Carol singing and playing songs on shepherds pipes, wearing shepherds sandals and hats. On Christmas Eve, it's common that no meat (and also sometimes no dairy) is eaten. Often a light seafood meal is eaten and then people go to the Midnight Mass service.

What are 3 facts about Christmas in Italy?

Fun facts about Christmas in Italy

If you want to wish someone Merry Christmas in Italy you would say “Buon Natale.” Santa Clause visits kids in Italy on December 6th on Saint Nicholas Day. Children hang stockings and get small treats from Saint Nicholas. It is the beginning of the Christmas season.

What is a traditional Sicilian Christmas dinner?

Feast of the Seven Fishes, also known as La Vigilia (The Vigil), is a Sicilian-American traditional dinner on Christmas Eve. Like many Italian traditions, the origin and rules are debated.

Do Sicilians do the 7 fishes?

One Sicilian-American tradition in particular was easy and fun to continue with our family. It is called “The Feast of the Seven Fishes” in the US but simply “La Vigilia,” (the vigil) in southern Italy. As the name suggests, this tradition literally involves making seven (or more) types of fish on Christmas Eve.

What is a traditional Italian dinner?

Primi Piatti is the first main course of the dinner. Traditional Italian meals will almost always include pasta in this portion of the meal. Other primi options include lasagna, gnocchi, risotto, and soups. You don't want to overeat during this course of the dinner because the next dish is even heavier than the primi!

Do Sicilians eat meat on Christmas Eve?

Every region (or even every town!) has its own customs, but if there's one tradition that everyone in Italy can agree on, it's not eating meat on Christmas Eve. December 24 is the time for fish or cheese dishes to shine.

How do Sicilians celebrate Christmas?

Playing cards after a meal is another typical Sicily Christmas activity, and many people use to meet at friends' house and play cards all night long during Christmas holidays. The most traditional games with cards include briscola, scopa, cucù, but there are also many other fun table games that can entertain as well.

Why do we eat seafood on Christmas Eve?

The long tradition of eating seafood on Christmas Eve dates from the Roman Catholic tradition of abstaining from eating meat on the eve of a feast day. As no meat or animal fat could be used on such days, observant Catholics would instead eat fish (typically fried in oil).

What food is eaten on Christmas in Italy?

In Southern and Central Italy, baked pasta is a must. In Northern Italy, Lasagne Bolognese and filled pasta like manicotti and ravioli are traditional Christmas fare. Next comes the main event, the meat. Roasted veal, baked chicken, sausages or braised beef are common Natale entrées worth celebrating.

How do Italy say Merry Christmas?

To wish someone a Merry Christmas in Italian, we say Buon Natale!

What is Santa called in Italy?

For children in Italy, the jolly man bearing gifts is called Babbo Natale -- he's an Italian version of Father Christmas, but rarely found in the southern half of Italy. "Babbo Natale is really someone who came from the northern part of Europe," said Betta Alinovi.

How is Christmas different in Italy?

Christmas in Italy is celebrated over several weeks as Italians celebrate from early December, depending on the region, until the day of Epiphany, on the 6th of January. Especially the children look forward to the start of the Christmas season in December when Christmas trees are put up and houses are decorated.

Is Sicily nice for Christmas?

Europe is famous for its Christmas Markets, and Palermo, Sicily's capital, is one of the best places to visit to find your Christmas spirit. In general, markets in Italy are overflowing with goods and extravagance, but add the benefit of holiday joy and celebration, and you get a bucket list-worthy experience.

How warm is Sicily at Christmas?

Temperatures across the island range between an average low of 52˚F and high of 61˚F (11-16˚C) with the hills in the interior of the island being colder (sometimes seeing snow during cold spells), and mountainous areas over 3,300 feet (1,000 m) sometimes receiving an abundance.

Is Sicily good to visit in December?

Sicily weather in December is very mild but it's also very wet, with regular rainfall throughout the month. Although it's a bit damp at times, December is a great time to travel to Sicily for the holiday season with a good deal of sunshine and very quiet towns and resorts.

Is it a sin to eat meat on Christmas Eve?

Christmas Eve is not a solemnity, so the current rules regarding Friday abstinence apply. If your national bishops' conference has said that Catholics in your country should abstain from meat on Fridays, then Christmas Eve is no exception.

What is the most authentic Italian dish?

What is the appetizer of an Italian meal called?

The antipasto: A traditional Italian meal starts with something to nibble on, called an antipasto, which translates into English as “before the meal.”

What is the order of an Italian meal?

Typically an Italian meal consists of four courses (starter, first course, main course, and dessert), although this can be stretched to eight courses or more (starter, first course, fish main course, meat main course, cheese, and dessert).

What is the biggest meal of the day in Italy?

Normally, lunch is Italian's biggest and most sustaining meal of the day.