In Campania, Christmas really begins on the evening of 24 December. Lunch on the 25th matters, of course, but it is Christmas Eve that families look forward to all year: the long table, relatives arriving from afar, a kitchen busy since early morning, the nativity scene waiting for the Baby Jesus. Here we tell you how this evening is lived, what is eaten and how the rituals change from one province to another.
The meatless feast
The rule is old and still followed by a great many families: on Christmas Eve no meat is eaten. The so-called cenone di magro, the "lean" dinner, comes from the fast that Christian tradition prescribed before major feasts. In Campania, though, "lean" has turned into an abundance of fish, vegetables and fried treats with very little penance about it.
In Naples and across most of the region the evening almost always opens with a seafood pasta. The classic is vermicelli with clams, made "in bianco" with garlic, olive oil and parsley; many families prefer vermicelli to spaghetti because they hold the sauce better. In the days before Christmas the fishmongers and neighbourhood market stalls are crowded with people queuing, and shopping for fish becomes part of the celebration.
Eel and salt cod, the stars of the table
If one dish stands for the Neapolitan Christmas Eve, it is capitone, the large female eel. It is bought live and cooked either fried or marinated with vinegar, garlic and bay leaves. Folk beliefs have always surrounded it: eating it, people say, means symbolically defeating the serpent, and therefore evil, while awaiting the birth of Jesus. Not everyone loves it, but in many homes a small piece is a must, if only for tradition's sake.
The other pillar is baccalà, salt cod, above all fried in batter, but also served as a salad or with olives and capers. Salted cod travelled easily to villages far from the sea, which is why in inland Campania baccalà is often the true king of the table, even more than fresh fish.
Reinforcement salad and greens
Alongside the fish comes the insalata di rinforzo, the "reinforcement salad": boiled cauliflower, olives, capers, salted anchovies, pickles and papaccelle, small round peppers preserved in vinegar. The name comes from a custom many still follow: over the following days the salad is "reinforced" with new ingredients so that it lasts through the whole holiday season.
There are also bitter greens sautéed with garlic, oil and chilli: broccoli and, depending on the area and family habits, friarielli or escarole. Fried food completes the picture: battered bites, mixed fritters, little zeppole. Then it is time for dessert, with struffoli, roccocò and mostaccioli, which we cover in our article on the Christmas sweets of Campania.
Midnight Mass and the Baby Jesus
After dinner many families get ready for midnight Mass. In town and village churches it is one of the best-attended moments of the year, often accompanied by traditional carols and, where the custom is still alive, by the sound of bagpipes.
At home, the most awaited gesture is placing the Bambinello, the Baby Jesus figure, in the manger of the nativity scene. Until then the crib stays empty: the Child is set down only at midnight, often by the youngest member of the family, sometimes after a small procession through the house with candles and songs. To understand how much the crib means to people here, read our guide to the Neapolitan presepe (in Italian) and take a stroll down San Gregorio Armeno, the street of the nativity artisans.
In Naples midnight is also greeted with firecrackers and fireworks, and the evening often goes on around the table with cards or the Neapolitan tombola until late into the night.
Differences between Naples, Cilento, Irpinia and Sannio
There is not just one Christmas Eve in Campania. In Naples and along the coast fresh fish dominates, with the eel as its symbol. In Cilento the table follows the rhythm of the land: by the sea, anchovies and the catch of local fishermen; inland, salt cod, pulses and vegetables from the garden, together with the fried leavened dough that many households prepare on feast days.
In Irpinia and Sannio, lands of mountains and farms, fresh fish was once a luxury, and salt cod becomes the undisputed star, cooked several ways on the same evening. Here Christmas is also a time of great fires: in Baiano, for instance, on Christmas morning people go into the woods to cut the tree of the Maio di Santo Stefano, and in the afternoon a bonfire is lit in honour of the patron saint. We tell that story in our article on Saint Stephen's Day in Campania.
On the Amalfi Coast Christmas Eve has a sound of its own. Every year in Amalfi the bagpipers accompany the weeks before Christmas and, in the hamlet of Vettica, the Novena ends at dawn on the 24th with music and pipes: the full programme is on the page for Christmas and New Year in Amalfi.
Where to feel the Christmas Eve atmosphere
If you are travelling in Campania at Christmas, we suggest experiencing the season outside the home too. In the days before the 24th several living nativity scenes open: every year the village of Albori, above Vietri sul Mare, and the Valle Lavatoio in Pimonte host evocative routes among costumed figures and old crafts, while others, such as the one in Agerola, open just after Christmas. In Naples the AIAP nativity art exhibition is an ideal stop before the big night.
For the whole season see our article on Christmas in Campania (in Italian) and the events calendar. Our advice, though, is simple: if someone invites you to a Christmas Eve dinner, say yes. It is the best way to understand Campania.
