Vigil

A vigil is when a cat chooses to stay awake for the night, this being required by a ceremony or tradition (as opposed to staying awake for guard duty).

Warrior Ceremony
Newly appointed warriors are required to stay awake for the entire night after they received their warrior name, as decreed by the Warrior Code. They guard the camp in silence, while the other Clan members have a good rest.

In some cases, this rule cannot be adhered to, and the warrior receives another task. For example, when Squirrelflight was appointed as a warrior in Starlight, there was no camp to guard, so she received the task to explore the lake with other warriors instead.

Vigil for the Dead
If a Clan cat dies, his or her body is taken to the center of the camp, and several of their Clanmates (usually close friends and relatives) sit vigil for them through the night, sharing tongues for the last time, before the elders bury him or her.