Christmas Eve is observed differently according to local cultures and traditions but it remains essentially a vigil ahead of the major feast of the Nativity.
In Russia, it is marked by fasting until midnight, for instance, and in Germany it is traditional to eat only a simple dish, such as sausage and potato salad.
Yet in Italy, Christmas Eve has become the “feast of the seven fishes”, which evolved from the Roman practice of abstaining from meat during the vigil. In Spain families also dine together as part of the tradition of Nochebuena, and Christmas Eve is the night the French have their Christmas dinners, as it is with the Finns.
