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Dec. 24 has always been my favorite day of the year. Until I was 12, family members numbering in the dozens would descend upon my grandparents’ tiny two bedroom apartment in Troy, New York, for the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Although the Italian tradition typically means a day of fasting followed by a meatless banquet at night, my family took the i...

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In 1823, Clement Clark Moore wrote A Visit from St. Nicholas, one of the most beloved Christmas poems of all time. But, in describing a home in which “Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse”, Moore makes pretty clear he isn’t Italian American! Because for us, the “Night Before Christmas” means La Vigilia… or in Italian America, The Feast of...

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From crusty golden Arthur Avenue bread, to perfectly pressed baccala, freshly made pasta and the best sausage and cheese, Little Italy in the Bronx is a “buon appetito” holiday hot spot. “I ask the people where they’re coming from. They’re coming from eastern Connecticut, Pennsylvania, South Jersey,” Bathgate resident Tony Morante told CBS2’s Tony...

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Dinnertime, for an Italian family, is sacred. It’s an opportunity to gather around the table, share a meal, drink some good wine and engage in great conversation. The spread on Christmas Eve represents the heart of this tradition. The Feast of the Seven Fishes — for which seven seafood items are prepared — has been handed down through generations....

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They call it the Feast of the Seven Fishes, but in chef Kevin Fonzo’s experience, that’s generally in name only. “In most Italian families, I think that’s the bare minimum,” he says, laughing. All joking aside, the feast’s earliest origins lie in Catholic tradition. “Just as Italian Catholics don’t eat meat on Good Friday, they do not eat meat on C...

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Many Italian Americans celebrate Christmas Eve with a big family feast teeming with savory seafood stews, chilled shellfish, rich pastas and gorgeous baked fish. The multi-course meal from il mare is known as the Feast of the Seven Fishes or Feste dei Sette Pesce. The tradition's origin story is obscure, but what's clear is that many Italian Americ...

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For those who celebrate Christmas, so much of the season builds up to the main event: Dec. 25. Christmas Eve is often an after-thought, a time to put gifts under the tree or scramble for last-minute presents and sparse parking spots at stores. But some find the idea of glossing over Christmas Eve a bit, well, fishy. Some families, particularly Ital...

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The Feast of Seven Fishes is a hallmark Christmas Eve tradition in Pittsburgh’s Italian-American households. The celebration took root in many regions of the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s as Italians began to immigrate en masse to the country and share their culinary heritage. “We can’t go back and say it comes from one person or...

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The Feast of the Seven Fishes is an Italian-American tradition celebrated on Christmas Eve. While the menu varies from region to region and family to family, typical items include oysters, shrimp, scallops, and calamari, with the main course typically consisting of a whole roasted fish. Locals who want to honor the tradition this year might want to...

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Growing up like most kids, I loved Christmas day and opening presents alongside both of my sisters. But unlike most kids, I looked forward to Christmas Eve the most. That’s because like many Italians, we celebrated the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve at my grandparent’s house. I have a lot of fond memories going over to their house on Hu...

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