Every Christmas Eve, Italian families across the world gather around tables laden with seafood. Baccalà (salt cod), calamari, shrimp, clams, mussels, and various fish, prepared in a dozen different ways, create a feast that’s become synonymous with Italian-American Christmas traditions. This celebration is known as the Feast of the Seven Fishes, or “La Vigilia” in Italian.

Italians take their food seriously. Growing up in Monte Di Procida, a small coastal town outside Naples, we learned early that Italian cooking comes with rules. Not just recipes, but rules. Break them, and you might hear a sharp “Non si fa!” (We don’t do that!) from a nonna or see an auntie physically wince.

HapPi Pi Day to you! Are you ready to join the international celebration of Albert Einstein’s birthday on March 14? And what’s the connection between Einstein, Greek letters, and pizza, anyway? Pi, or π as it’s expressed in mathematics, is one of math’s most famous numbers. It’s a mathematical constant that expresses the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Pi is an irrational number, which means that its digits actually go on forever. However, it’s typically rounded off to 3.14 for everyday use. Of course, 3.14 is also a way to write “March 14,” giving science and math enthusiasts a punny way to celebrate one of the world’s most brilliant thinkers. You don’t have to be a genius to join in the fun of Pi Day. There are many inventive ways to celebrate this international holiday, including having a delicious slice of pizza pie at your favorite Italian eatery.