vig·il / ˈvijəl/ • n. 1. a period of keeping awake during the time usually spent asleep, esp. to keep watch or pray: my birdwatching vigils lasted for hours as he lay in a coma the family kept vigil. ∎  a stationary, peaceful demonstration in support of a particular cause, typically without speeches. 2. (in the Christian Church) the eve of a festival or holy day as an occasion of religious observance. ∎  (vigils) nocturnal devotions.

Vigil ★★★ 1984

A stark, dreamy parable about a young girl, living on a primitive farm in a remote New Zealand valley, who watches her family collapse after a stranger enters their territory. Visually ravishing and grim; Ward's first American import. Predecessor to “The Navigator.” 90m/C VHS . NZ Penelope Stewart, Bill Kerr, Fiona Kay, Gordon Shields, Frank Whitten; D: Vincent Ward; W: Vincent Ward.

vigil eve of a church festival XIII; watch XVII. — (O)F. vigile — L. vigilia watch, watchfulness, f. vigil awake, alert, rel. to vigēre be vigorous or lively.
So vigilant XV. — L. vigilāns, -ant-, prp. of vigilāre keep awake.

Vigil. A night service before a Christian festival.