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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

In secular usage, vigilia often denotes the eve of a festival or holiday, as in la vigilia

Cross-linguistically, vigilia appears in several Romance languages with meanings related to an eve or a vigil.

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

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.
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.
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.