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).
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Eves of religious celebrations [link]
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.[1] 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 "morning" 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 beginning the day at sunset rather than midnight.
Most likely the best known vigil is the Easter Vigil held on Holy Saturday. The Midnight Mass held on Christmas Eve is a remnant of this practice. Christmas Eve is a time of reflection for Christians in the U.S. and all over the world.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church an All-Night Vigil (consisting of Great Vespers, 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 are also commonly observed on Holy Days in the Anglican, Lutheran and Methodist Churches.[2]
Vigils at the time of death [link]
When a Jewish person dies, a watch is kept over the body and Tehillim are recited constantly, until the burial service.
In Christianity, especially the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions, a vigil is often held when someone is gravely ill or mourning. 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 [link]
During the 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 in the chapel, preparing himself in this manner for life as a knight. For the knighting ceremony, he dressed in white as a symbol for purity.
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References [link]
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Vigil (film)
Vigil is a 1984 New Zealand drama film directed by Vincent Ward. It was the first New Zealand film invited to play in the competitive section of the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.
The film was nominated for awarded three awards at New Zealand's GOFTA Awards in 1986: Best Cinematography (Alun Bollinger), Best Original Screenplay (Vincent Ward), and Best Production Design (Kai Hawkins).
Plot
11 year old Toss lives on a remote farm in a valley somewhere deep in rural New Zealand with her father, mother and grandfather Birdie. When she witnesses her father’s death while out herding sheep, she is shocked to see another man present, who then carries her father’s body out of the bush. When the new man, Ethan moves onto the farm and begins a relationship with her mother, Toss sees him as an invader into her isolated world.
Cast
Production
Vincent Ward spent five years making Vigil, from pre-production to completion. Part of this was a lengthy pre-production process which involved him visiting hundreds of schools throughout New Zealand, looking for the right actor to play Toss. Similarly, Ward travelled all over New Zealand looking for a perfect setting before finding the isolated farm in Northern Taranaki where filming eventually took place.
Vigil (disambiguation)
Vigil may refer to:
Art and literature
Movies and music
Video games
Harud
Harud (also known as Autumn) is Aamir Bashir's directorial debut. It premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. The film stars Reza Naji and Shahnawaz Bhat and takes place in Kashmir.
External links
Harud at the Internet Movie Database
Autumn (song)
"Autumn" is a three-part song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1974 album Hero and Heroine. The final part "The Winter Long" was released as a single in 1974 under the title "Hold on to Me (The Winter Long)."
Heroine's Theme
The first part of the three part song is an instrumental written by keyboardist John Hawken. It was later released as a single in the United States due to demand from black radio stations. The music begins with a menacing riff played on a Moog synthesizer, gradually builds to a climax and then segues into the much quieter second part of the song.
Deep Summer Sleep
"Deep Summer Sleep" is written and sung by Dave Cousins.
The Winter Long
The final part of the song is written by Dave Cousins but sung by Dave Lambert. It was released as a single in the UK in 1974. Several overseas releases followed.
Release history
B-Side of the single
The B-side track "Where Do You Go (When You Need a Hole to Crawl In)" is a Dave Cousins composition, featured on the 1974 album Ghosts album.
Autumn (1930 film)
Autumn is a Silly Symphonies animated Disney short film. It was released in 1930.
