Crowds head to Arthur Avenue to stock up for Feast of the Seven Fishes
NEW YORK -- Some spend the day before Christmas Eve getting last-minute gifts for under the tree, while others focus on the food they're going to put on the table.
On Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, families are preparing for the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
It's the busiest day of the year at Randazzo's Seafood. The line is out the door with regulars who make visiting Bronx Little Italy a tradition.
"We come every year on the 23rd for the past 20 some odd years," said Janine Muscolino, from Yorktown Heights.
Muscolino came prepared with a list.
"Scallops, shrimp, calama, squid, scungil, mussels, clams, crab meat," she said.
And the list goes on. Her family is among many preparing for the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
"We eat fish on Christmas Eve and we eat meat on Christmas. It started on the island places where we're from, where fish is plentiful, and it really was a poor man's feast back them. Now it's become every man's," said Mary Franco, from New Canaan, Connecticut.
It's said to be rooted in the Roman Catholic custom of abstinence from meat on Christmas Eve. It's become a tradition for many Italian American families.
It's also a big day for the family that owns the nearly 100-year-old fish shop, with generations working to serve the community.
"We've been doing it for a long time and we just love it. People enjoy coming here. They come from outside the area," said co-owner Frank Randazzo. "This is the best day of the year."
If you drive up Arthur Avenue the day before Christmas Eve, you're bound to see long lines outside many of the businesses, including Madonia Bakery.
"All hands on deck this week, all hands of deck this morning, and we just go, go, go until we're done," said Madonia co-owner Daniel Calano-more. "Our olive bread is probably our most popular product. That and the pane di casa."
The Dimartinos came from Massapequa Park and waited in line for hours to get all the good stuff.
"We hit each store. We go to Borgatti's for the raviolis. We got to Madonia for the bread, and then I got to Pace's to get my cheese and stuff," said Tino Dimartino. "This time of year, you gotta get the best food and the best quality. That's what it's all about. So even if you gotta wait, the wait is worth it."
Many shops on Arthur Avenue will be open on Saturday morning.