3 Advent food traditions, each with 'its own story,' from around the world

As the liturgical season of Advent comes to a close, here are three different ways people around the world celebrate the season – with food.

When immigrants from Italy made their way to the United States in the early 20th century, they brought with them traditional foods and customs surrounding the holidays. 

They also invented a new one: the Feast of the Seven Fishes. 

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The Italian American Christmas Eve tradition is believed to have originated with immigrants from southern Italy who missed the abundant seafood of the area. 

Additionally, at the time, it was a Catholic practice to abstain from meat in the lead-up to holy days, including Christmas Eve. In southern Italy, that meant an elaborate fish dinner, as National Geographic noted. 

As these immigrants established themselves in the United States, the seafood dinners of Christmas Eve eventually evolved into the "Feast of the Seven Fishes."

"Seven" was likely chosen due to its significance in the Bible, according to National Geographic.

"Christmas Eve, or La Vigilia, was always a time of restraint and reflection, marked by fasting and abstaining from meat, but it was never a time of deprivation," Steve Chiappetti, executive chef at the Albert hotel in Chicago, told Fox News Digital.

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The custom of eating fish on Christmas Eve also continued as a way to maintain a connection with Italy and to honor ancestors, National Geographic said. 

"The magic of the Feast of the Seven Fishes lies in its variety," Chiappetti said. "Every dish has its own story." 

He added that from "a simple baccalà (salted cod), a nod to the preservation methods of the past, or a more elaborate frutti di mare pasta, filled with the flavors of the ocean," each dish tells "its own tale of our connection to the land, the sea and the season."

Today, many Italian-American families have their own spins on the Feast of the Seven Fishes, which often includes Italian fusion cuisine in addition to traditional dishes. 

"For me, it's not just about the food; it's about honoring the tradition of the land, the family and the memories that come with it," Chiappetti said.

In the Philippines and in areas with a large Filipino population, the days leading up to Christmas consist of a special pre-dawn celebration. 

"During the holidays, the Filipino community prepares for Christmas with a nine-day novena of Masses prior to Christmas," Fr. Leo Patalinghug told Fox News Digital. 

This tradition is called Simbang Gabi, which translates to "Church in the Evening," he said.

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 Patalinghug is a priest of the Voluntas Dei (The Will of God) Institute and is based in Baltimore, Maryland. 

In addition to his priestly ministry, Patalinghug is the author of the book, "Dining with the Saints: The Sinner's Guide to a Righteous Feast." 

He is founder of the international food and faith movement called Plating Grace and is host of "Savoring our Faith," a food and faith show on the Catholic television network EWTN.

"Technically, it's a Mass in the early morning when it's still dark," he said. 

The Masses are celebrated shortly before dawn. 

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The point of these Masses is to "gather and pray in hopeful expectation of Christ, who is the light that pierces the darkness." 

"It's also a time for people to gather and celebrate as a community, generally with traditional foods that give warmth and comfort," Patalinghug said.  

One popular dish for Simbang Gabi is arroz caldo, which Patalinghug described as "a warm savory porridge of rice and chicken with bold aromatics." 

Perhaps the most unusual and unexpected Advent and Christmas food tradition is the Japanese custom of eating KFC during the holiday. 

While the Christian population of Japan is small – less than 1% of the country identifies as Christian, according to Japan Mission – Japan began widely observing Christmas as a "seasonal event" in the late 1960s, according to KFC's website. 

"Initially, the celebrations were just for entertaining kids," KFC said.

KFC came to Japan in the 1970s and began its Christmas campaign in 1974. 

That campaign featured a promotion in which a bucket of KFC fried chicken was sold with a bottle of wine, "suggesting it be used for a Christmas party that wasn't just for kids, but for grownups, too." 

"The original idea for the campaign came when a foreign customer who visited KFC in Tokyo on Christmas Day said, 'I can't get turkey in Japan, so I have no choice but to celebrate Christmas with Kentucky Fried Chicken,'" KFC said on its website.

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The first Christmas campaign came with the tagline "Kentucky for Christmas." 

It was a hit, KFC said. 

Now, Japanese KFC locations have statues of Colonel Sanders dressed as Santa Claus and take pre-orders and reservations for Christmas dinner "as early as late October," KFC said. 

Dec. 24 is the busiest day of the year for KFC in Japan – 10 times busier than KFC's annual average, its website said. 

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"While the design of the bucket and the sides may change each year, KFC's famous fried chicken stays at the center of the party bucket and the Christmas holiday in Japan," its website said.  

"Kentucky for Christmas is a Japanese tradition that's here to stay."