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All-Night Vigil

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An '''All-Night Vigil''' (Greek: ''Agrypnia'', "without sleeping"; Slavonic: ''Vsenoshnoe Bdenie'') is a combination of multiple services whose makeup varies significantly according to regional and local tradition. In the Byzantine tradition, the service lasts through the night, consisting of the entire liturgical cycle, culminating in the [[Divine Liturgy]]. In Slavic tradition, it does not last all night but normally includes [[Vespers]] (or [[Great Compline]]), [[Orthros]] and the [[Hours|First Hour]], and it is the standard Saturday evening service. When the Vigil is celebrated, the particular [[rubrics]] for its constituent services are altered.
One of the unique characteristics of the Vigil is that [[Vespers|Small Vespers]] (different from both Daily and Great Vespers) is served earlier in the evening (usually this service is only done in cathedrals and monasteries, however). This practice originated so that the monks could observe a shorter form of vespers at the canonical time (sunset), have their evening meal, and the then later begin the All-Night Vigil (which includes the fuller form of Vespers). Additionally, the inclusion of the Litia and Artoklasia has as its purpose the sustenance of the faithful as they attend a service which may last eight or more hours through the night, when done in the full traditional manner.
==Byzantine practice==
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