Feast of the Seven Fishes celebrated in Brooklyn

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - It's a Christmas Eve tradition for Italian-Americans.

It was a seafood frenzy at Octopus Garden in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.

Christmas Eve is an extra special night for lots of Italian Americans as they get ready to celebrate a decades-old tradition -- the Feast of the Seven Fishes.

"It's tradition that's how we were brought up it's important the night of the 24th to be able to have the seven fishes brings a lot of luck and especially a tremendous meal," said customer.

The meal, always on December 24th, typically consists of seven different seafood dishes, but many go way beyond that number. While none of the customers could actually explain why it's called the ‘Feast of the Seven Fishes,’ they all said it has a different meaning for each of their families.

"It's tradition the way we were raised his kids in Italy,” said one customer.

"It just means getting together with family having a great time and just catching up on life and making memories," said another.

Vinnie Cutrone, who owns the family-run business, said he tried to make the meal as authentic as possible for each of his customers.

“Our octopus comes from a very specific area in the Mediterranean. It's frozen up on our ships, and we tenderize it. We do all the work and then, it's very easy to cook it," he said.

So whether the customers came to buy Bacalao, some lobster or some octopus, they all said the best part about event was just being with their families and remembering this important tradition.