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The Feast of the Seven Fishes (Italian: ''Festa dei sette pesci''), also known as The Vigil (Italian: ''La Vigilia''), is an Italian celebration of Christmas Eve with meals of fish and other seafood. ==Origins and tradition== The Feast of the Seven Fishes is part of the Italian-American Christmas Eve celebration, although it's not called as such in Italy and has no proper meaning, since it's a tradition existing in few southern regions, not an holiday.〔 Today, it is a feast that typically consists of seven different seafood dishes. It originates, however, from Southern Italy, where it is known as The Vigil (La Vigilia). However, some Italian-American families have been known to celebrate with nine, eleven or thirteen different seafood dishes. This celebration commemorates the wait, the ''Vigilia di Natale'', for the midnight birth of the baby Jesus. It is unclear when the term "Feast of the Seven Fishes" was popularized. 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 productson Wednesdays, Fridays and (in the Latin Church) Saturdays, as well as during Lent and on the eve of specific holy days. As no meat or animal fat (there is no prohibition on milk or dairy products) could be used on such days, observant Catholics would instead eat fish, typically fried in oil. The meal may include seven, eight, or even nine specific fishes that are considered traditional. The most famous dish Southern Italians are known for is baccalà (salted cod fish). The custom of celebrating with a simple fish such as baccalà 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. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Feast of the Seven Fishes」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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