Madeleine McCann's family and their supporters around the world lit candles and said prayers to mark the first anniversary of her disappearance.
The little girl vanished from her bed in her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, southern Portugal, at around 9.15pm on May 3 last year.
Kate and Gerry McCann spent the day at home in Rothley, Leicestershire, with their three-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.
Special church services were held in Portugal and Britain to commemorate the sombre anniversary. People were also being asked to light candles, shine torches or turn on a porch lamp between 9.30pm and 10pm to symbolise the period when she went missing.
Everton, Madeleine's favourite football team, will join the campaign to "light the way home" for the little girl by switching on the floodlights at its Goodison Park ground at this time.
A number of relatives - Mr McCann's brother John, his sister Trish Cameron, her husband Sandy, and Mrs McCann's cousin Michael Wright - travelled to Praia da Luz on their behalf. They attended a service in the Algarve village's church of Our Lady of Light, where a message from Mrs McCann was read out.
Mr McCann's brother said the McCanns would ideally have travelled to Portugal to mark the anniversary of the disappearance of Madeleine. He told reporters that the McCanns felt they could not return to the village where their daughter went missing on May 3 last year.
Meanwhile, it emerged that Brian Kennedy, the McCanns' millionaire backer, met Robert Murat, the first official suspect in the case. Francisco Pagarete, Mr Murat's lawyer, confirmed the meeting took place at Mr Murat's aunt's house in the Algarve last year.
He told the BBC: He added: "He came here to give his support to Robert and to say he doesn't believe Robert was involved in this story in any way or sense.
"And he asked if Robert could help the investigation for the finding of Madeleine in any way."
Mr Pagarete said Mr Kennedy promised to stay in touch with Mr Murat but had not contacted him since.
It is understood the meeting took place in November and was also attended by Mr Kennedy's in-house lawyer, Edward Smethurst, who is co-ordinating the McCanns' legal affairs.
Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns' spokesman, refused to comment on the meeting.
It is understood that Mr Kennedy informed Portuguese detectives after he met Mr Murat and is adamant he did not commit any offences under Portuguese law.
The meeting is said to have been a simple "information-gathering exercise" and does not imply that the McCanns suspect Mr Murat in any way.