vigil or not?

[Burke McCrory]

At 02:25 AM 12/19/96 -0600, you wrote:
>>I am being elevated to a Pelican at Bonwicke's 12th Night.  I would like 
>>to have a vigil, but I believe that vigils are really for knights.  So, I 
>>am having a tea which I hope will be a lot less serious than a vigil.  If 
>>you get a chance to come to Bonwicke, please consider yourself invited.  
>>Marthe de Blenkinsop 
>>
>>
>Greetings! 
>First off, congratulations!!! VIVAT!  secondly, If y'all will forgive a
>newbee question, but what is a vigil? I have an image of the soon-to-be-peer
>off in a dark castle or deep forest in meditation over their advancement.
>Sort of like Jesus in the desert. Faceing  down their temptations and human
>weaknesses to emerge calm, cool and collected.  
>What is the SCa's version of a vigil? what traditions have evolved around
this?
> 
>timo
>littlesucmsuckingmutantlefty

Timo,
The vigil comes out of the practice of a Knight Candidate spending the
night before his knighting in the chapel watching over his armor.  It was a
time that the candidate would use to purify himself before God and think
about the responsibilities that lay ahead of him.  

In the SCA the vigil has become a time that others (peers and non-peers)
can come a talk to the Peer Candidate about the honor and responsibilities
of an SCA peer.  Some will talk from personal experience and some will just
give their congratulations and best wishes.  It varies from candidate to
candidate.



Burke McCrory
Sir Burke Kyriell MacDonald
burkemc at ionet.net