DO eat fish–preferably seven courses of it–on Christmas Eve, a practice known as La Vigilia; this long standing tradition originates from the Roman Catholic custom of abstaining from meat on the day before a religious feast. 

DO switch to meat–we’re talking cappelletti in brodo and cappone–for il pranzo di natale (Christmas lunch).

DON’T wait until the 25th to open gifts; many Italian families start with the gift giving on the night of the 24th!

DO eat sweets on Christmas. Christmas isn’t Christmas here without panettone, or its cousin pandoro, though there are tons of other festive regional desserts to try, like mostaccioli, struffoli, and torrone. 

DO get rid of something you don’t need anymore on New Year’s Eve; out with the old and in with the new!

DO (or maybe DON’T) throw old or broken things out the window on New Year’s Eve–a Southern Italian custom that, for perhaps obvious reasons, is dying out. PROCEED WITH CAUTION. 

DO wear something new on New Year’s–even better if it’s red. The auspicious color is said to bring health, protection, and joy (something that women of the Roman Empire believed as well). 

DO set off firecrackers, botti di capodanno, to ward off evil spirits. 

DO eat lentils at the stroke of midnight for a wealthier year! They’re best accompanied by another celebratory classic: the zampone. (Like in other parts of the world, many of us also eat twelve grapes for luck, one for each month of the coming year.)

DON’T ignore the weather for the first 12 days of the new year. Nonna teaches us that each day will predict the weather for the corresponding twelve months ahead. 

DON’T forget to leave a stocking out on the evening of January 5th for the broom-riding Befana to leave candy (if you’ve been good) or coal (if you’ve been bad). Children are also encouraged to leave a small offering of wine and food for her, a gesture to bring good luck and blessings in return.