102,815
edits
Changes
Created page with 'File:lighterstill.jpgcenter|frame ==Etymology== [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middl...'
[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Vtvigil2.jpg|center|frame]]
==Etymology==
[http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English] vigile, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin & [[Latin]]; Late Latin vigilia watch on the eve of a feast, from Latin, [[wakefulness]], watch, from vigil [[awake]], watchful; akin to Latin vigēre to be vigorous, vegēre to enliven — more at [[wake]]
*Date: [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_Century 13th century]
==Definitions==
*1 a : a watch formerly kept on the night before a [[religious]] feast with [[prayer]] or other [[devotions]]
:b : the day before a religious feast [[observed]] as a day of [[spiritual]] [[preparation]]
:c : evening or nocturnal devotions or [[prayers]] —usually used in plural
*2 : the act of keeping [[awake]] at times when [[sleep]] is customary; also : a period of wakefulness
*3 : an [[act]] or period of watching or [[surveillance]] : watch <kept vigil at her bedside>
==Description==
A '''vigil''' (from the ''Latin'' vigilia, [[meaning]] [[wakefulness]]) is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for [[devotional]] watching, or an observance. The Italian word vigilia has become generalized in this sense and means "eve" (as in on the eve of the [[war]]).
*''Eves of religious celebrations''
A vigil may be held on the eve of a [[religious]] festival (feast days), observed by remaining [[awake]]--"watchful"--as a devotional [[exercise]] or [[ritual]] [[observance]] on the eve of a [[holy]] day. Such [[liturgical]] vigils usually consist of [[psalms]], [[prayers]] and hymns, possibly a sermon or [[readings]] from the Holy Fathers, and sometimes periods of [[silent]] [[meditation]].
The term "eve" means that the observance begins on the evening before. In [[traditional]] [[Christianity]], the celebration of liturgical feasts begins on the evening before the holy day because the Early Church continued the [[Jewish]] [[practice]] of beginnnig the day at sunset rather than midnight.
Probably the best known vigil is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Vigil Easter Vigil] held on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Saturday Holy Saturday]. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_Mass Midnight Mass] held on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Eve Christmas Eve] is a remnant of this [[practice]].
In the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church Eastern Orthodox Church] an All-Night Vigil (consisting of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Vespers Great Vespers], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matins Matins] and the First Hour) is held on the eves of Sundays and all Major Feast Days (such as the Twelve Great Feasts and the Feast Days of important Saints) during the liturgical year.
*''Vigils at the time of death''
When a Jew dies, a watch is kept over the [[body]] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Psalms Tehillim] are recited constantly, until the [[burial]] service.
In [[Christianity]], especially the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox Eastern Orthodox] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic Roman Catholic] [[traditions]], a vigil is often held when someone is gravely ill or dying. [[Prayers]] are said and votives are often made. Vigils extend from eventual [[death]] to [[burial]], ritualistically to pray for a loved one, but more practically so they are never alone.
*''Medieval knights''
During the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages Middle Ages], a squire on the night before his knighting [[ceremony]] was expected to take a cleansing bath, fast, make [[confession]], and then hold an all-night vigil of [[prayer]] to [[God]] in the chapel, readying himself for his life as a knight. He would dress in white, which was the [[symbol]] for [[purity]].[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigil]
[[Category: Religion]]
==Etymology==
[http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English] vigile, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin & [[Latin]]; Late Latin vigilia watch on the eve of a feast, from Latin, [[wakefulness]], watch, from vigil [[awake]], watchful; akin to Latin vigēre to be vigorous, vegēre to enliven — more at [[wake]]
*Date: [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_Century 13th century]
==Definitions==
*1 a : a watch formerly kept on the night before a [[religious]] feast with [[prayer]] or other [[devotions]]
:b : the day before a religious feast [[observed]] as a day of [[spiritual]] [[preparation]]
:c : evening or nocturnal devotions or [[prayers]] —usually used in plural
*2 : the act of keeping [[awake]] at times when [[sleep]] is customary; also : a period of wakefulness
*3 : an [[act]] or period of watching or [[surveillance]] : watch <kept vigil at her bedside>
==Description==
A '''vigil''' (from the ''Latin'' vigilia, [[meaning]] [[wakefulness]]) is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for [[devotional]] watching, or an observance. The Italian word vigilia has become generalized in this sense and means "eve" (as in on the eve of the [[war]]).
*''Eves of religious celebrations''
A vigil may be held on the eve of a [[religious]] festival (feast days), observed by remaining [[awake]]--"watchful"--as a devotional [[exercise]] or [[ritual]] [[observance]] on the eve of a [[holy]] day. Such [[liturgical]] vigils usually consist of [[psalms]], [[prayers]] and hymns, possibly a sermon or [[readings]] from the Holy Fathers, and sometimes periods of [[silent]] [[meditation]].
The term "eve" means that the observance begins on the evening before. In [[traditional]] [[Christianity]], the celebration of liturgical feasts begins on the evening before the holy day because the Early Church continued the [[Jewish]] [[practice]] of beginnnig the day at sunset rather than midnight.
Probably the best known vigil is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Vigil Easter Vigil] held on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Saturday Holy Saturday]. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_Mass Midnight Mass] held on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Eve Christmas Eve] is a remnant of this [[practice]].
In the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church Eastern Orthodox Church] an All-Night Vigil (consisting of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Vespers Great Vespers], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matins Matins] and the First Hour) is held on the eves of Sundays and all Major Feast Days (such as the Twelve Great Feasts and the Feast Days of important Saints) during the liturgical year.
*''Vigils at the time of death''
When a Jew dies, a watch is kept over the [[body]] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Psalms Tehillim] are recited constantly, until the [[burial]] service.
In [[Christianity]], especially the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox Eastern Orthodox] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic Roman Catholic] [[traditions]], a vigil is often held when someone is gravely ill or dying. [[Prayers]] are said and votives are often made. Vigils extend from eventual [[death]] to [[burial]], ritualistically to pray for a loved one, but more practically so they are never alone.
*''Medieval knights''
During the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages Middle Ages], a squire on the night before his knighting [[ceremony]] was expected to take a cleansing bath, fast, make [[confession]], and then hold an all-night vigil of [[prayer]] to [[God]] in the chapel, readying himself for his life as a knight. He would dress in white, which was the [[symbol]] for [[purity]].[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigil]
[[Category: Religion]]