The Feast of the Seven Fishes and Italian-American Foodways
A particular extension of my research on heritage and foodways is my research on the unique Italian-American Christmas Even Feast of the Seven Fishes, or “La Vigilia Italo-Americana.” The Feast of the Seven Fishes is an iconic ritual tradition of the Italian-American community in North America, in which the night before Christmas sees the mass consumption of at least seven kinds of seafood. The historical origins and reasons for seven fishes are unknown, though there are several ideas (seven loaves and fishes, seven days of the week, fish as the symbol of early Christianity, St. Peter the fisherman), and certainly in Southern Italy fish was a staple food especially during days of fasting from meat. Yet while practitioners may state that it is done as a connection with the homeland, the practice is not diffuse across Italy, and, even in Southern Italy from which most Italian-Americans come, it is not as big a deal as in America. Rather, I have argued, it serves as a ritual marker of ethnic heritage denoting in-groups and out-groups. As a ritual, it is both a “rite of intensification” that brings the family and those of Italian-American heritage closer together after periods of acculturation, as well as a “rite of incorporation” that integrates new members (non-Italians who become family through marriage) into the fold. As my original article in Food and Foodways (2009) included menus and recipes, it is one of my most downloaded articles—especially around Christmas time!
I have discussed the Feast of the Seven Fishes in numerous media outlets, including National Geographic, La Cucina Italiana Magazine, The Globe and Mail, and Toronto radio.
If you or your family celebrates the Feast, or would like to start, I’d love to talk to you!