vigil of the sleeping RELIGION AND BELIEF, CULTURE — The vigil of the sleeping (in some regions, vigil for the sleeping) is a western practice used to mourn and celebrate the dead. It varies by region, but the key elements are as follows: the family, tribe or community of a deceased loved one retires from nonessential work for a week. During this time, they divide up meals among them, each person fasting two meals per day in honor of those who passed and feasting on the remaining meal in celebration of the life lived. The division of fasting/eating is established so that there is always both happening at the same time throughout the mourning period. While fasting, mourners cover their faces in ash (or, in some cases, chalk). A common trait in most regions is that the mourning phase is accompanied by dance and dirge, while the celebration is seasoned by lively songs and stories. During the vigil, the body of the deceased is kept in a public room in a house or hall. At the end of the week, usually when the body has begun to spoil, it is removed to be buried or burned, depending on the customs of the region. In some areas, particularly rural ones, the week leading up to → Sauingrey is treated as a vigil (with similar customs) and begins the → Hidain celebration.