The idea of wakefulness can refer to being awake.
From the Latin vigilĭa , vigil is the action of being awake or awake . It is, in this sense, a state of consciousness that precedes sleep . For example: “After almost thirty hours of being awake, I can finally go to sleep” , “I anxiously wait for the child's wakefulness to end” , “Víctor sleeps more than he is awake” .
The vigil can also be the intellectual work that takes place at night or the work produced in this way: “I have written more than a hundred pages in my waking hours,” “The poet wrote his best works during the summer vigils,” “ The singer recorded the last song on the album at the vigil.”
The vigil as a prior instance and in the military field
By extension, it is known as vigil per day or the moments that precede or cause a certain thing : “The victim's relatives called a vigil in front of the court awaiting the ruling,” “The vigil for the final seemed eternal to me.” : I really wanted to go out and play” , “The vigil lasted five hours until the artist came out to greet his followers” .
Likewise, in the military world the word in question is also used. In this case it is used to refer to all the parts into which the night is divided in order to establish the soldiers' guards. The objective is that the barracks is protected at all times, since there will always be personnel ensuring its safety and that no intruder can penetrate it or cause any damage.
Tuna is used to prepare waking food.
Eve of a religious holiday
The concept of vigil is also common in the field of religion . It is used to name the eve of a festival or the service that is prayed on the eve of some festivities.
Within the religious sphere, we can also say that the term vigil is used to refer to the office of any liturgical act that is carried out in memory of one or more deceased in a church.
Christian religions are those that celebrate what is called the Easter Vigil. This becomes one of its most significant festivities and takes place during the period from Holy Saturday until Easter Sunday. What we try to do with it is to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
This celebration gives rise to the existence of another series of terms such as, for example, Pascual Candle. This is a large candle that is lit in churches to represent the light and the aforementioned resurrection.
The waking meal
Eating vigil with abstinence from meat is also known as a vigil, following the precepts of Catholicism during Easter. Thus we can talk about vigil empanadas (made with tuna or other fish), vigil eggs or vigil stew , all recipes that do not include the use of meat.
Precisely based on that meaning, the expression “eating while awake” was created. It is a verbal phrase that is used to refer to the fact that a person in question is eating fish, legumes or any other food, as long as it is not meat.