Preserving tradition - the Feast of the Seven . . . Five . . . uh, Three . . . make that one Fishes?

[Stinky The Clown]

The Italian Christmas Eve tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes is one that was observed in my family. I simply cannot recall a single Christmas Eve when it wasn't. The menu and the venue changed, but not the tradition.

That changed some years ago when my mother died and my aunts (her sisters) grew increasingly frail.

The first year I orchestrated it with a new audience (our kids and their families) in a new venue (our house) the reviews were decidedly mixed. The biggest problem was the amount of food. It is simply impossible to make just a small volume and still have seven entrees and appropriate side dishes. Everyone was uncomfortably full, and the overall effect was not fun. Too much food and too little collective capacity to eat it.

The tradition allows some flexibility. It is usually held that Seven Fishes is the tradition. But the bigger notion is simply an odd number. When our crew was, for a few truly wonderful years, greater than thirty people spanning four generations, we did Nine Fishes. As the family moved away, as marriages took some of us to new in-laws for the holiday, or maybe every other year's celebration, things changed. We did Five Fishes. Once we did Three Fishes.

Here at StinkySparklyville we've done as few as three. Last year it was just Sparkly and me. We shared it with our neighbors, but did just one fish dish, an appetizer with fish in it, and a side with some fish essence.

This year we hope to go back to all Seven Fishes, but with a twist. We're going to do it for the entire week. The menu is not yet fully set, but we'll do one fish entree a night, and a fish appetizer on some nights, for five days. The audience will be different each night, too. The kids or not. Neighbors and friends. People we see a lot and some with whom we've lost touch.

I have this vision of sharing one meal with a family less fortunate, but we're not sure quite how to effect that - or even find the family. Maybe next year.

It is a truly wonderful, sustaining tradition. It is based on the core notion of a common meal and of sharing.

I have thought about this for years, ever since the people with whom I shared this as a child were gone from us. I think I may have hit on the form of the tradition that fits with the state of our family and our corner of the world.




Whatever is your holiday tradition, please accept my best wishes for you and yours and that the best of the season finds its way to you.

For those to whom it has meaning: Buon Natale!

[Denninmi]

1. I don't really have any great family traditions.

My mother's family was boring -- typical American stock of English and Dutch descent, no real "traditions" to speak of. I think the mentality of the 19th century was that fun was sinful.

My father's parents were both immigrants, their traditions I think were left behind with their families.

I've tried to make some of my own over the years, but it's not much fun when no one else wants to participate, and the family is small and scattered.

Yeah, it's kind of sad.

I picked up a package of frozen seafood blend the other day -- clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp, crab, octopus, and squid. Seven right there in one convenient package. I was thinking about making a red curry with coconut milk, basil, and lemon grass some day.

[hippywife]

2. We've never done the fishes.

As a matter of fact I never heard of it until the first time you mentioned it here. I do remember my great aunts and my gran frying smelt so maybe that was as far as our family carried it. I dunno.

Even though Bill and I don't celebrate this particular holiday anymore in any form really, except maybe having a nicer dinner than usual, we did make the pizzelles. We made the chocolate ones this past weekend and shared them all with out co-workers. Tonight we made the traditional anise ones. They are a flavor that evokes many memories for me and the house smells wonderful.

Wishing you and yours Buon Natale, my friend. :hi:

[yellerpup]

4. Happy Holidays, hippiewife!

May you having nothing but joy in the coming year. Nothing BUT joy, you hear? Mind me! :loveya:

[hippywife]

6. Yes'm!

I plan on working on just that.
Wishing you a very lovely holiday, my sweet sis. :loveya:

[Stinky The Clown]

7. Buon back atcha! I'll spare the Natale part.

:)

[tigereye]

9. I love pizzelles- and want to get a pizzelle maker -

my husband's family is Italian and Polish - and my MIL made smelts, pannetone, and pizzelles for Christmas. She also made the best meatballs.

My own family is Irish/German, but for some reason we always had lasagna most Christmas Eve nights. We didn't really have any Irish traditions for Christmas, other than Catholic ones- midnight mass, singing carols and carrying the baby Jesus statue to the manger as kids.


Since my husband and I do the main Christmas Eve dinner now that our parents are gone or much older, we have done lasagna, shells, my husband's own impromptu version of chicken curry with lots of red peppers, French bread, other breads, and this year, paella and salmon. So I guess we pick and choose different holiday traditions. My son has many cultures in him, so it will be interesting to see what he decides to do when he is old enough.

[yellerpup]

3. Playing it out over five days is a great idea.

We used to hold an open house for a week--then we upped it (once) for two weeks and I hit tilt. Buon Natale to you, Stinky! The Feat of the Fishes is such an elegant way to celebrate.

[Lucinda]

5. I think that is a wonderful new tradition and very appropriate to the times.

Have a wonderful day!

[tigereye]

8. very cool - my husband's family is Italian and my MIL

mostly did smelts the last few years we visited, although she had done as many as 3 over the years. She also made pannetone in a flower pot, which I thought was really cool and made her own pasta.


I love the idea of all the fishes. Last night we had paella with shrimp, and also had a big plate of salmon. So we did 2 fishes!