Vigilia

Vigilia is a term derived from the Latin vigilia, meaning watchfulness or wakefulness. In English, it is used primarily in formal or liturgical contexts to denote a vigil or the period of being awake in preparation or anticipation. The word also appears in the names of religious observances preserved from Latin or Romance languages.

In Christian liturgy, a vigil is a service or observance held in the evening or night before a feast or holy day. It typically includes prayer, scripture readings, and reflection, and may involve fasting or other acts of devotion. Notable examples include the Easter Vigil (Vigilia Paschalis), which begins Holy Saturday and continues into the evening, and the Christmas Vigil (Vigilia Nativitatis) on the eve of Christmas. Vigils are commonly observed for saints’ days and other significant events in various Western Christian traditions.

In secular usage, vigilia often denotes the eve of a festival or holiday, as in la vigilia di Natale (the eve of Christmas) in Italian or la vigilia de la Navidad in Spanish. The term can also refer to any prolonged period of wakefulness kept for remembrance, safety, or anticipation.

Cross-linguistically, vigilia appears in several Romance languages with meanings related to an eve or a vigil. In English contexts, the word vigilia tends to appear in titles or formal descriptions of liturgical observances, with the more general term vigil used in everyday language.

See also: Vigil; All Hallows’ Eve; Holy Saturday; Christmas Eve.