All-Night Vigil

An All Night Vigil consists of Vespers, Orthos and the Divine Liturgy being celebrated in sequence one immediately following the other. Such a service takes place in the late evening prior to a feast day, usually a Great Feast Day and lasts until the early morning hours. In the parishes, Vigils are less strenuous than those conducted in the monasteries, but the structure remains the same. The Vespers usually contains a litia with the blessing of the bread. Between the Vespers and the Orthos, a short pericope is read detailing the nature of the feast.