Beyond Panettone: A Guide to the Real Italian Christmas

How do Italians celebrate Christmas? Let’s dive into the festivities to see how Italian traditions compare to their Italian-American counterparts.

Buon Natale! Auguri di Buon Natale! Felice Anno Nuovo! (Merry Christmas! We wish you a merry Christmas! Happy New Year!)

The sentiment is the same on both sides of the Atlantic. Christmas is a treasured time of year to spend with family for both Italians and Italian-Americans.

But here is something you may not have known: Christmas in Italy is synonymous with bagpipe music. That’s right. Throughout the holiday season, bagpipers known as zampognari roam the streets sharing their Christmas music much like carolers. They dress as shepherds to mimic those who visited baby Jesus in the manger, setting a unique soundtrack for the season.

The Feast of Seven Fishes: Fact or Fiction?

The most common question asked about the Christmas season by Italian-Americans is about the Feast of Seven Fishes: Is it really an Italian tradition?

Well… Yes and No.

It is true that Italians typically eat fish on Christmas Eve during La Vigilia di Natale. However, the specific "Feast of Seven Fishes" is an Italian-American creation. In Italy, a meat-free meal is seen as a way to purify the body to show devotion and respect according to Catholic tradition. Baccalà (dried and salted cod) is a popular authentic Italian dish served during La Vigilia.

Baccalà - salted fish traditionally eaten around the holidays.

The Christmas Calendar in Italy

December 6th: La Festa di San Nicola (St. Nicholas Day) Mercatini di Natale (Christmas markets) begin to pop up around this time, signaling the start of the festivities.

December 8th: Immaculate Conception The first official day of the Christmas season. This is the day Italians traditionally decorate their albero di natale (Christmas tree) with addobbi natalizi (Christmas decorations) and top it with a star, angel, or a puntale (point).

December 13th: La Festa di Santa Lucia A beloved tradition in many regions. On this day, instead of eating bread, people traditionally eat only rice and potatoes. In Sicily, this means delicious arancine are on the menu!

December 24th: La Vigilia di Natale Celebrated with a big Christmas Eve dinner, followed by a game of Tombola (a lottery game similar to bingo). Seafood dishes served on La Vigilia usually include items like spaghetti alle vongole, spaghetti al nero di seppia, orata al forno, and capitone in umido. The Vatican holds La Messa della Vigilia (Midnight Mass) at 9:30 PM and televises it for the world to see. Afterward, Italians typically open gifts.

December 25th: Christmas Day The day is celebrated with a large communal Christmas lunch. Typical dishes include tortellini in brodo, agnolotti, lasagne, pasta al forno, vitello o pollo arrosto (roast veal or chicken), and brodo di cappone. For dessert, of course, there is pandoro or panettone, torrone (nougat), and struffoli. Children write letters to Babbo Natale (Santa Claus), who visits their homes on a sled.

December 26th: Il Giorno di Santo Stefano Observing Saint Stephen’s Day began in 1949 as a day of rest, recovery, and eating leftovers!

December 31st: La Festa di San Silvestro (New Year’s Eve) Also known as Il Veglione (the big party), Italians wait for midnight in the piazza. Many watch a special TV program at midnight: Il Concerto di Capodanno and celebrate with fireworks—not unlike the Italian-American tradition of watching the NYC Ball Drop.

January 6th: Il Giorno Dell’Epifania & La Befana This celebration marks the end of the holiday season and is the traditional day of gift sharing in Italy. The witch, La Befana, comes to fill your stocking with regali (gifts) if you’ve been good, or coal if you’ve been bad. The tradition is thought to come from ancient Roman times when the goddess Janus gave gifts to those who had been good throughout the year. La Befana rides her broom and sweeps the floor, driving away all the problems from the previous year.

Unique Italian Traditions

A common practice here in Italy is the tradition of the Presepe (nativity scene). Neighbors open their homes to each other to show off their intricate displays. Many of these nativity scenes are set on a ceppo—a wooden pyramid structure with shelves. The nativity scene is displayed on the bottom shelf, with candles, candies, fruit, and small gifts on the upper shelves.

Finally, something you may have never heard of is the tradition of the Midnight Ski. In Northern Italy, locals take to the slopes on Christmas Eve night after midnight mass, using flashlights and torches to light the way down the mountain.

If your Christmas wish is to learn more about your Italian heritage, book a free consultation.