watch night
- noun
- /wɑtʃ naɪt/
:
noche de vigilia
- Many congregations gather for a watch night service to welcome the new year in prayer.
Examples
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We attended a watch night service at church.
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The tradition of watch night has its roots in the Methodist Church's New Year's Eve vigils.
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People attended the watch night meeting to reflect and set intentions for the coming year.
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Are you going to the watch night celebration?
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Many congregations gather for a watch night service to welcome the new year in prayer.
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People attended the watch night meeting to reflect and set intentions for the coming year.
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The tradition of watch night has its roots in the Methodist Church's New Year's Eve vigils.
How Religious
Surface Forms
Morphology
The devotional sense is only recoverable if the learner knows the less common sense of 'watch' = 'vigil' (staying awake for prayer); with the common sense 'watch' = a guard or time period the meaning 'devotional service' is not directly apparent. Because there is a partial conceptual link (staying awake/prayer at night) but the specific religious sense is uncommon and somewhat idiomatic, it should be rated as semi-transparent.
Etymology
Watch night comes from the old practice of people watching, or 'staying awake', through the night to pray and wait for the new year. That's why watch night today means a late-night prayer service or meeting to mark the new year.