The Christmas Eve meal is very important in most European countries. While other Christian families around the world celebrate this great meal with different kinds of meat, it is a tradition for Italians to eat seven different kinds of fish. Such a meal is called the “Feast of the Seven Fishes”. It's also considered traditional that there may be nine, eleven, or even thirteen fishes for the meal. This kind of celebration is held to remember the birth of the baby Jesus.
The Feast of the Seven Fishes was held just by southern Italians as a custom at first, but today Italians all over the world hold it. Although the Feast of the Seven Fishes has been regarded as an Italian custom, no one definitely knows the meaning of it. There are lots of explanations for it. Some people believe that seven fishes are served because it took God seven days to create the world. Other explanations mention the Seven Hills of Rome.
For the Feast of the Seven Fishes, it's not certain that which kinds of fish should be served. At the Feast of the Seven Fishes, the meal usually begins with antipasto (开胃食物) and ends with delicious desserts.
The Feast of the Seven Fishes has been a tradition since ancient times, and it will continue or even change as life changes. However, for Italians all over the world, the cultural meaning of the tradition is more important than anything else.
