14 October 2019
Word of the Day: Wake
WAKE. A watch or vigil. The term was originally applied to the all-night
vigil in Anglo-Saxon times before certain major holidays. By the sixteenth century
it was used of the holiday itself, and of the fair held to honor a local saint.
In some countries, e.g., Ireland, a wake is the watch over the body of the deceased
before burial. And more commonly a wake is the period, one or two days before
the funeral, when mourners may visit the body of the deceased and offer their
condolences to the bereaved. The Church now provides for a liturgical service,
if so desired, during the wake. It is called Vigil for the Deceased.
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