Our favorite Pennsylvania holiday traditions
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From pretzels to pickles, snowballs to sauerkraut, Pennsylvania's holiday traditions are the gifts that keep on giving.
Why it matters: Admit it — they make you feel warm and fuzzy inside … well, except maybe those cold-hearted Eagles fans.
- 🧑🎄 Santa took it in stride, and now we have a story as timeless as some of our favorite seasonal rituals.
🐟 Feast of the Seven Fishes: From Pittsburgh to Philly, restaurants and home cooks embrace the Italian American tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, rolling out their own riffs on seafood classics each December.
- Rooted in the Catholic custom of abstaining from meat before feast days like Christmas Day, the Christmas Eve celebration traditionally features seven distinct seafood dishes and often unfolds over hours-long dinner parties.
🇮🇹 Cannoli time: The long Christmas Eve lines at Isgro Pastries and Termini Bros. for the sweet Sicilian treats are well worth the wait in Philly.
🥒 Christmas pickle: A pickle-shaped ornament is hidden somewhere on the tree, and the Christmas morning race to find it is on. Whoever spots it first gets an extra present, opens the first gift, or earns a year of good luck.
- Its origins are debated, but the hunt endures in Pittsburgh-area homes — helped along by the city's love of all things pickled.
✨ Wanamaker Light Show and Dickens Village: The building's Grand Court offers the perfect spot to take in the vintage light show before heading upstairs to wander through a re-creation of Dickens' holiday classic.
- But check it out while you can — the attraction will be on pause in 2026 and 2027 as operators search for a new home for this beloved tradition.
📣 Keeping the spirit of Santa alive: At the Eagles' final home game in 1968, the real Santa got stuck in traffic and the late Frank Olivo filled in for him — only to be booed and pelted with snowballs. Eagles fans hate hearing the story as much as people hate holiday fruitcake, but some lore you just have to lean into.
- "As long as there is professional football," former Gov. Ed Rendell said, "the story of Eagles fans pelting Santa Claus will always be told."
🪩 Peak Pennsylvania NYE drops: Dozens of Keystone State locales put their own stamp on the Times Square tradition, swapping the ball for hometown symbols.
- Pottsville hoists a Yuengling bottle, Lebanon drops a 250-pound hunk of bologna, Hershey raises a giant Kiss, and Bethlehem lowers a 400-pound Peeps chick.
- Meanwhile, Pittsburgh's ball rises, and Kennett Square, Shamokin, and Mechanicsburg stay true to their roots with a mushroom, coal, and a wrench, respectively.
🥨 Pittsburgh's New Year's pretzel: A Steel City New Year's tradition that often flies under the radar: New Year's pretzel — a German-inspired sweet-dough pastry shared at midnight for luck.
- Bakeries turn out thousands each December, topping them with icing, cinnamon, sprinkles, candied fruit and more.
🐷 Pork and sauerkraut: This hearty New Year's Day meal is a Pennsylvania staple, born from a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition that promises a strong start to the year.
- The pork symbolizes progress (pigs root forward) and sauerkraut represents prosperity.