Italian Christmas Traditions: What Italians Actually Eat on Christmas Eve

Say “Feast of the Seven Fishes” to most people in Edinburgh and they will picture an Italian family table groaning with seafood on the 24th of December. Say it to a lot of Italians and you may get a blank look. The name is far better known in America than in Italy, and the real story of Christmas Eve at an Italian table is both simpler and more interesting.

Here is what La Vigilia actually is, how it changes from region to region, what is served on Christmas Day itself, and how to borrow the best of it for your own table this year.

What Is La Vigilia?

La Vigilia means the vigil, the evening before Christmas Day. Traditionally it was a day of abstention in Italy’s Catholic households, so the meal was meat-free, or “di magro”. Fish, shellfish, salt cod, vegetables and pasta filled the gap, and the evening grew into a large family dinner often called the cenone.

It is a long, convivial meal rather than a rigid menu. Families often eat late, sometimes before midnight Mass, and the exact dishes depend on where in Italy the grandmother grew up. That variety is the point of Italian Christmas traditions: there is no single national menu.

So Where Did the Seven Fishes Come From?

The Feast of the Seven Fishes is best understood as an Italian-American tradition with real roots in the south of Italy. Families who emigrated from southern regions carried the custom of a fish-led Christmas Eve with them, and over the twentieth century it hardened into a named feast with a fixed number of dishes. Why seven is usually explained by religious symbolism, though nobody agrees on which symbolism.

In Italy itself, the number is not fixed. You will hear of seven, nine, twelve or thirteen dishes depending on the family and the town, and many Italians simply call it the Christmas Eve dinner. The idea of a fish-centred meal on the 24th is very Italian. The branded “seven fishes” is mostly an export.

How Christmas Eve Changes Across Italy

In the south the table leans hardest on the sea. Naples is known for spaghetti with clams, fried salt cod and capitone, the big eel that is a Christmas Eve tradition in the city. In Sicily you will find seafood pasta and fried fish alongside vegetable dishes and sweet pastries.

Further north the pattern softens. In the Veneto, creamy baccalà mantecato is a Christmas Eve favourite, while parts of the north and centre eat lighter on fish and save the heavy cooking for the 25th. Rome sits in between, with fried salt cod, broccoli and plenty of pasta.

What Italians Eat on Christmas Day

If Christmas Eve is the fish, Christmas Day is the feast. In Emilia-Romagna the classic is tortellini in brodo, small filled pasta served in a clear broth. Elsewhere you will find baked lasagne, roast meats and, in some regions, a capon.

Dessert is where Italy becomes more unified. Panettone from Milan and pandoro from Verona are on almost every table, and our guide to panettone vs pandoro explains how to tell them apart. Add torrone, the nougat found across the country, and regional sweets such as the fried honey balls of Naples.

The Dishes You Will Hear About

A few dishes come up again and again. Baccalà, salt cod, is soaked for days to remove the salt and then fried, stewed or whipped into a cream. Spaghetti with clams is a Christmas Eve staple in much of the south, and a mixed fry of small fish and squid, a fritto misto, is the crunchy centrepiece in many homes.

Vegetables matter too, because the day is about abstaining from meat rather than eating only fish. Fried cauliflower, braised greens and simple pasta dishes all have a place on the table.

Bring La Vigilia to Your Own Table

You do not need a dozen dishes to capture the spirit. A good Christmas Eve at home borrows the pattern: something from the sea, something fried, something with pasta, and plenty of time.

• Start light: a plate of olives, good bread and a few cured or marinated bites.
• Pasta with seafood: spaghetti with clams is the simplest, with garlic, chilli, parsley and white wine.
• Something fried: salt cod or calamari, served hot with lemon.
• Finish gently: panettone, pandoro or a few pieces of torrone with a small glass of something sweet.

Keep the wine bright and dry with fish, such as a crisp Italian white. Our guide to Italian wine types is a good place to start if you are choosing bottles.

Christmas at Divino

We want to be clear about what we do and do not offer. Divino does not run a dedicated La Vigilia menu, and we are not claiming the Seven Fishes. What we do have is a festive menu with an Italian shape, including a roast cod dish with escarole and cannellini purée, and steamed Shetland mussels in Trebbiano wine on the Menu Due.

Our à la carte menu also carries seafood year-round, such as a slow-cooked octopus and potato salad and hake in an “acqua pazza” tomato and white wine broth. If you love the idea of a fish-led Italian Christmas, those are the dishes to look for. Our guide to the Divino festive menu covers what is on both tiers and why to book early.

The setting helps too. The vaulted stone cellar at 5 Merchant Street, with its oak floors and warm lighting, suits a long December dinner, and our pieces on Christmas celebrations and winter dining show how the season looks here.

Book Your Festive Table

Christmas tables fill early, so it is worth choosing your date sooner rather than later. Book through our bookings page or call (0131) 225 1770, and check opening dates for the festive period when you do. For larger parties, our parties and events team handle group bookings separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do Italians eat on Christmas Eve?

Traditionally a meat-free dinner centred on fish, shellfish, salt cod, vegetables and pasta. The exact dishes vary by region.

Is the Feast of the Seven Fishes really Italian?

It is an Italian-American tradition with roots in southern Italy. A fish-based Christmas Eve is Italian, but the named feast with seven dishes is best known in America.

What is La Vigilia?

La Vigilia is the Christmas Eve vigil and the large family dinner that goes with it, traditionally meat-free.

What do Italians eat on Christmas Day?

Dishes vary, but tortellini in broth, lasagne and roast meats are common, followed by panettone or pandoro.

Does Divino serve a Christmas Eve fish menu?

No dedicated Christmas Eve menu is advertised. Our festive menus and à la carte include fish and seafood dishes, so check the bookings page for festive dates.