Not eating meat on Christmas Eve is a longstanding Christian tradition stemming from the practice of treating the day as a "vigil" or fast day before the feast of Christmas. Historically rooted in Catholic, Orthodox, and other traditions, it serves as a period of spiritual preparation, reflection, and self-control, with fish (a cold-blooded animal) traditionally permitted instead of warm-blooded meat.
Catholics traditionally abstain from eating meat on certain days, including Christmas Eve, as a form of penance and preparation for the feast day. This practice stems from Church teachings encouraging self-discipline and reflection. While not universally required today, many observe it to honor tradition.
Before the feast, it was common for Christians to fast or avoid certain foods such as meat or eggs for up to 40 days. This was a way to practice self-control and make the celebration more meaningful. Traditionally, Christmas Eve was the 'vigil of Christmas', which meant the last day of fasting.
Italy – the Feast of the Seven Fishes
“Another country where the meat-free tradition is observed, in spectacular style, is Italy,” says Dani. Known as the 'Feast of the Seven Fishes' this epic Christmas Eve dinner party is one, I would love to share.”
There is no tradition around what to eat on Christmas Eve. Different families do different things. We cook our ham on Christmas Eve so that's what we have for dinner.
One of the more popular Christmas Eve dishes is fish, particularly fish pie. "This is a Catholic tradition related to the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Some Catholics still include seven different fishes in the meal – not difficult if you're making a pie," says Brown.
On the table there are always 12 dishes. Traditionally these are lent dishes, so no meat allowed.
According to legend, Jesus Christ was born on the night between 24 and 25 December in the year 0. Christians all over the world therefore traditionally celebrate the birth of the Messiah and Son of God on this date as Christmas.
The specific dishes may differ from country to country, but many of them are universal. Due to the Nativity Fast, no meat, eggs or milk (including cheese) are allowed during the supper. Thus fish, mushrooms and various types of grain are the main offerings.
In 675, the official prohibition by Emperor Tenmu banned the killing of animals. In line with both Buddhism and Japan's native Shintoism, it was forbidden to kill animals and taboo to eat meat until 1872 – almost 1200 years after the ban was put in place.
Christmas Eve is the biggest holiday of the year for Italians. It's common practice throughout Italy not to eat meat on Christmas Eve.
By the 17th century, turkeys were becoming more popular as a festive meal in England. Before this, people often ate other birds like goose, peacock or swan. Turkeys were seen as a more practical choice as they were large enough to feed a family but didn't have other uses like cows for milk or chickens for eggs.
The idea of cooking an animal's meat in the milk meant to nourish it symbolizes, for Jewish scholars, an act of cruelty. For this reason, kosher rules clearly establish the separation between meat and dairy, not only during meal preparation and consumption but also in the digestion times between the two food types.
For the majority of December (and, let's face it, November) they've been bombarded by festive imagery and it all leads toward a single point – Christmas Day. So, naturally, by Christmas Eve, their excitement levels are stratospheric, making it difficult to sleep.
In some families, the tradition of eating lamb for Christmas is simply a matter of culinary preference.
For centuries Catholic church in Poland was considering Christmas Eve as a fasting day, which means no eating meat that day. It was changed by church authorities recently, just few years ago, but a lot of families keeps it as a custom.
No, Jesus never let pork, shellfish or any other unclean meat pass between His lips. When He ate meat, He ate only clean meats—such as fish with fins and scales, lamb, goat and beef. If you are a Christian who tries to follow Jesus' example, it's time to start eating like He did.
The tradition stems from the Roman Catholic observance of abstaining from eating meat on the eve of a feast day. As no meat or animal fat could be used on such days, observant Catholics would instead eat fish (typically fried in oil). It is unclear when or where the term "Feast of the Seven Fishes" was popularized.
To be specific, Jesus drank water and wine, ate only whole grain bread, abstained from pork and shellfish, and ate large quantities of healthy foods like olive oil, grapes, figs, pomegranates, various kinds of vegetables, and fish. This is “the Jesus way of eating” [p. xv].
In Jeremiah 10:1-4 the verses basically say not to cut down trees and decorate them as the heathens did to sum it up. So why is this such a common practice among Christians, when they shouldn't even be celebrating Christmas in the first place?
Based on this winter solstice link, the "History of Religions hypothesis" or "Substitution theory" proposes the Church chose 25 December as the birthday of Jesus (dies Natalis Christi) to appropriate the Roman festival of the birthday of the Invincible Sun (dies Natalis Solis Invicti), held on the same date.
When he died, Jesus was around 33 years old. Most scholars estimate his age by analyzing Biblical and historical accounts of him. Most agree that He was born between 6 and 4 BCE, based on the Gospel of Matthew's mention of Herod the Great, who died in 4 BCE.
According to tradition, the Christmas Eve dinner must not contain meat.
The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara in Asia Minor. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young.
The tradition of Christmas Eve goes back to early Christian communities, who gathered for a vigil to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The word “eve” comes from “evening,” meaning the night before a holy day.