<P> There are many hypotheses for what the number seven represents . Seven is the most repeated number in the Bible and appears over 700 times . </P> <P> One popular theory is the number represents completion, as shown in Genesis 2: 2: "By the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work ." During the feast of the seven fishes, participants celebrate the completion of God's promise of the Messiah through Jesus . </P> <P> Other theories include: that the number represents the seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church; or it represents the Seven hills of Rome that surround the city . It may represent perfection (the traditional Biblical number for divinity is three, and for Earth is four, and the combination of these numbers, seven, represents God on Earth, or Jesus Christ). </P> <P> The meal's components may include some combination of anchovies, whiting, lobster, sardines, dried salt cod, smelts, eels, squid, octopus, shrimp, mussels and clams . </P>

What is the meaning of seven fishes on christmas eve