Which holiday is celebrated in Italy on New Year's Eve with lentils symbolizing prosperity?
Answer
La Festa di San Silvestro
Italy's New Year's Eve holiday is called La Festa di San Silvestro, and lentils are traditionally associated with prosperity during it.
The name refers to Saint Sylvester, whose feast day is December 31. Italian New Year's Eve meals commonly include lentils, whose small, round shape resembles coins and therefore symbolizes wealth or financial good fortune. Cotechino or zampone, regional pork dishes, are often served with them.
The midnight celebration is also called Capodanno, meaning “head of the year,” and customs differ between regions and families. Fireworks, sparkling wine, parties, and symbolic foods are widespread, while the exact menu is not universal.
La Befana belongs to the Epiphany season rather than New Year's Eve, and Ferragosto is an August holiday. Those distinctions matter because Italian winter celebrations often overlap in popular calendars, but they are separate observances with different dates and traditions.