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In many languages, the names given to the seven days of the week are derived from the names of the classical planets in Hellenistic astronomy, which were in turn named after contemporary deities, a system introduced by the Sumerians and later adopted by the Babylonians from whom the Roman Empire adopted the system during late antiquity.[1] In some other languages, the days are named after corresponding deities of the regional culture, beginning either with Sunday or with Monday. The seven-day week was adopted in early Christianity from the Hebrew calendar, and gradually replaced the Roman internundinum.[citation needed]
Sunday remained the first day of the week, being considered the day of the sun god Sol Invictus and the Lord's Day, while the Jewish Sabbath remained the seventh. Emperor Constantine adopted the seven-day week for official use in 321 AD, making the Day of the Sun (dies Solis, "Sunday") a legal holiday.[2]
In the international standard ISO 8601, Monday is treated as the first day of the week, but in many countries it is counted as the second day of the week.
Days named after planets
Greco-Roman tradition
Between the first and third centuries AD, the Roman Empire gradually replaced the eight-day Roman nundinal cycle with the seven-day week. The earliest evidence for this new system is a Pompeiian graffito referring to 6 February (ante diem viii idus Februarias) of the year 60 AD as dies solis ("Sunday").[3] Another early witness is a reference to a lost treatise by Plutarch, written in about 100 AD, which addressed the question of: "Why are the days named after the planets reckoned in a different order from the 'actual' order?"[4] The treatise is lost, but the answer to the question is known; see planetary hours.[citation needed]
The Ptolemaic system of planetary spheres asserts that the order of the heavenly bodies from the farthest to the closest to the Earth is Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon; objectively, the planets are ordered from slowest to fastest moving as they appear in the night sky.[5]
The days were named after the classical planets of Hellenistic astrology, in the order: Sun (Helios), Moon (Selene), Mars (Ares), Mercury (Hermes), Jupiter (Zeus), Venus (Aphrodite), and Saturn (Cronus).[6]
The seven-day week spread throughout the Roman Empire in late antiquity. By the fourth century AD, it was in wide use throughout the Empire. [citation needed]
The Greek and Latin names are as follows:
| Day: (see Irregularities) |
Sunday Sōl or Helios (Sun) |
Monday Luna or Selene (Moon) |
Tuesday Mars or Ares (Mars) |
Wednesday Mercurius or Hermes (Mercury) |
Thursday Jove or Zeus (Jupiter) |
Friday Venus or Aphrodite (Venus) |
Saturday Saturnus or Cronus (Saturn) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greek[7] | ἡμέρα Ἡλίου hēméra Hēlíou |
ἡμέρα Σελήνης hēméra Selḗnēs |
ἡμέρα Ἄρεως hēméra Áreōs |
ἡμέρα Ἑρμοῦ hēméra Hermoû |
ἡμέρα Διός hēméra Diós |
ἡμέρα Ἀφροδίτης hēméra Aphrodítēs |
ἡμέρα Κρόνου hēméra Krónou |
| Latin | diēs Sōlis | diēs Lūnae | diēs Mārtis | diēs Mercuriī | diēs Iovis | diēs Veneris | diēs Sāturnī |
Romance languages
Except for in Portuguese, Galician and Mirandese, the Romance languages preserved the Latin names, except for the names of Sunday, which was replaced by Dominicus (Dominica), that is, "the Lord's Day", and of Saturday, which was named for the Jewish Shabbat. Mirandese and Portuguese use numbered weekdays (see below), but retain sábado and demingo/domingo for weekends.[8]
| Day (see Irregularities) |
Sunday Sōl (Sun) |
Monday Luna (Moon) |
Tuesday Mars (Mars) |
Wednesday Mercurius (Mercury) |
Thursday Jove (Jupiter) |
Friday Venus (Venus) |
Saturday Saturnus (Saturn) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portuguese | domingo | segunda-feira | terça-feira | quarta-feira | quinta-feira | sexta-feira | sábado |
| Galician | domingo | luns / Segunda feira | martes / Terza feira /Terceira feira | mércores / Corta feira / Cuarta feira | xoves / Quinta feira | venres / Sexta feira | sábado |
| Asturian | domingu | llunes | martes | miércoles | xueves | vienres | sábadu |
| Spanish | domingo | lunes | martes | miércoles | jueves | viernes | sábado |
| Occitan | dimenge | diluns | dimars | dimècres | dijòus | divendres | dissabte |
| Aranese Occitan | dimenge | deluns | dimars | dimèrcles | dijaus | diuendres | dissabte |
| Catalan | diumenge | dilluns | dimarts | dimecres | dijous | divendres | dissabte |
| French | dimanche | lundi | mardi | mercredi | jeudi | vendredi | samedi |
| Italian | domenica | lunedì | martedì | mercoledì | giovedì | venerdì | sabato |
| Lombard (Milanese) | domenega | lunedì | martedì | mercoldì | giovedì | venerdì | sabet |
| Lombard (Bresciano) | duminica ☉1 | lunedé | martedé | mercoldé | gioedé | venerdé | sabot ♄1 |
| Ligurian | doménga ☉1 | lunedì | mâtesdì | mâcordì | zéuggia | venardì | sàbbo ♄1 |
| Neapolitan | dummeneca ☉1 | lunnerì | marterì | miercurì | gioverì | viernarì | sàbbatu ♄1 |
| Sicilian | dumìnica ☉1 | luni | marti | mèrcuri | jovi | vènniri | sàbbatu ♄1 |
| Corsican | dumenica ☉1 | luni | marti | màrcuri | ghjovi | vènnari | sàbatu ♄1 |
| Romanian | duminică ☉1 | luni | marți | miercuri | joi | vineri | sâmbătă ♄1 |
| Venetian | domenega ☉1 | luni | marti | mèrcore | zobia | vénare | sabo ♄1 |
| Sardinian | domíniga, domiga, etc.[note 1] |
lunis | martis, maltis |
mélcuris, mércunis, etc.[note 2] |
gióbia, gioja, etc.[note 3] |
chenàbura, cenarva, etc.[note 4] |
sàpadu, sàuru, etc.[note 5] |
| Friulian | domenie ☉1 | lunis | martars | miercus | joibe | vinars | sabide ♄1 |
| Val Badia Ladin | domënia | lönesc | mertesc, dedolönesc |
mercui, dedemesaledema |
jöbia | vëndres | sabeda |
| Gherdëina Ladin | dumënia | lunesc | merdi | mierculdi | juebia | vënderdi | sada |
| Puter Romansh | dumengia | lündeschdi | mardi | marculdi | gövgia | venderdi | sanda |
| Vallader Romansh | dumengia | lündeschdi | mardi | marcurdi | gövgia | venderdi | sonda |
| Surmiran Romansh | dumengia | glindesde | marde | mesemda | gievgia | venderde | sonda |
| Rumantsch Grischun | dumengia | glindesdi | mardi | mesemna | gievgia | venderdi | sonda |
| Sursilvan Romansh | dumengia | gliendisdis | mardis | mesjamna | gievgia | venderdis | sonda |
| Sutsilvan Romansh | dumeingia | gliendasgis | margis | measeanda | gievgia | vendargis | sonda |
Celtic languagesedit
Early Old Irish adopted the names from Latin, but introduced separate terms of Norse origin for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, then later supplanted these with terms relating to church fasting practices.