From childhood, we ourselves, without noticing it, automatically remember the names of all the months of the year, the number of days in each month, as well as the names of all the days of the week that are the immediate components of each month. However, in the question of why each of the days of the week was given the appropriate name, we rarely think about it.

And today we want to pay special attention to the question of why Saturday is called Saturday and Sunday is called Sunday.

Why is Saturday called Saturday

First, let's focus on the first day off each week. Of course, many children who study at school on a "six-day" basis, that is, six days a week, do not really like Saturday, because it's just another school day. But as for adults and other children, for them this particular day of the week becomes the most favorite, because the work or school week is already over, and tomorrow is only Sunday. Saturday is the day on which you can relax the way you want it, and as much as you want.

But why is this day of the week given such a name? And the name, according to etymologists, for this day comes from the Hebrew word "Shabbat". This term is known to many, because that is what the Jews call Saturday. This is the day following the working week, and it is on it that the inhabitants of Israel refrain from work, rest both in soul and body.

As for the translation of the word "Shabbat" into Russian, here we get quite obvious "rest", "refrain", "stop". Having slightly transformed "Shabbat", we get a phonetically modified word "Saturday", so native and close to speakers of languages ​​​​of Slavic origin.

It is also noteworthy that in many other languages, Saturday is named after the planet "Saturn" (Saturn). This was a consequence of the fact that the ancient Romans devoted this day of the week to the planet "Saturn". So, for example, in English Saturday is called "Saturday", where it is easy to catch the origin of the name from the name of the sixth planet from the sun.

Why is Sunday called Sunday

In the case of the last day of the week, the history of the origin of its name is extremely obvious, and known to most people. The thing is that it was on this day, two days after the crucifixion, that Jesus Christ was resurrected. It was this legend that became the reason that today is the last day of the week, the second day off, we call the name “Sunday”, which is completely familiar to us.

On July 14, 1897, Sunday in Russia was declared an official day off. Sunday was declared a public holiday for the first time on March 7, 321. It was on this day that the Roman emperor Constantine I the Great proclaimed Sunday a day of rest. Markets were closed on this day, and state institutions stopped all activities.

Prior to this, the citizens of the Roman Empire celebrated on this day the "day of the Sun" - dies Solis. The tradition of celebration has been preserved in the modern name of this day of the week in many European languages ​​- Sunday (English), Sonntag (German), søndag (Danish and Norwegian) and söndag (Swedish).

Why did the emperor order to rest on Sundays?

Emperor Constantine in 321 AD issued a special decree that ordered every Sunday to be a day off. According to legend, the emperor had a dream. On the night before the battle, which was to take place on Sunday, Constantine saw in a dream the sun, and on it - a cross and an inscription that foreshadowed the victory of the emperor. The battle really went well for the emperor's troops. Constantine the Great, returning home and remembering the vision, ordered to ban all physical labor on Sundays.

By his order, on this day of the week, markets did not work and all state institutions stopped working. But at the same time, no restrictions on agricultural labor, in which the vast majority of the population took part, were provided.

Another 50 years later, with Emperor Theodosius I(388-395), a decree was issued according to which on that day no one could demand payment of a public or personal debt. At Theodosius II In 425, an imperial decree forbade circus and theatrical entertainment on the day of the Sun in order to emphasize the special holiness of this day. And in 538, during the third Synod in the city of Orleans, it was decided to ban all work, including in the countryside, on Sundays.

Was Sunday considered a day off for the Slavs?

The concept of "Sunday" appeared in Rus' after the adoption of Christianity, and at first only one day was called Sunday (the beginning of the celebration of Easter) - the Bright Resurrection of Christ on the third day after the crucifixion. Only in the 16th century did Sunday appear as a separate day of the “week”.

In all Slavic languages, except Russian, Sunday is called a “week” (Polish - niedziela, Ukrainian - week, Belarusian - nyadzelya, Czech - neděle, etc.), that is, the day when “they don’t do it”, they don’t work. Also, the word "week" is a tracing paper from the Greek apracos, that is, "not-doing", "non-working", idle.

In Russian, this name - "week" - has been preserved in Orthodox church terminology, for example, in the combination "Fomin's week".

What did "Sunday" mean in Old Church Slavonic?

The verb "to resurrect" in the Old Slavonic language is derived from "krѣsati", or "to resurrect", "kresѣ" - revival, health. The word "kresalo" is also closely related, which means "they will create fire with a blow."

Is Sunday a public holiday in all countries?

In most parts of the world, the work week usually runs from Monday to Friday.

In Israel, the main day off is Saturday, the work week begins on Sunday and ends on Thursday or Friday afternoon. On Saturday, Shabbat is sacred, on this day all offices, shops are closed, public transport does not work (except for taxis).

In Muslim countries, the main day off is Friday. Muslims devote this day to visiting the mosque and praying. The working week lasts from Saturday to Wednesday (Algeria and Saudi Arabia), from Saturday to Thursday (Iran), or from Sunday to Thursday (Egypt, Syria, Iraq, United Arab Emirates).

It is customary for us that the week starts on Monday, but in some countries the beginning of the week falls on Sunday. There are also some inconsistencies in the names - for example, why is Wednesday (i.e. "average day of the week") actually the third and not the fourth? To answer these and other questions about the days of the week, you need to start by asking why there are 7 days in a week, and why it is called a week.

Why are there 7 days in a week

For a modern person, a seven-day week is a common thing. But where did these seven days in a week come from?

According to historians, in the history of mankind, the week did not always have seven days. There were variants of a 3-day, 5-day, 8-day ("eight-day" in ancient Rome) week, as well as the ancient 9-day cycle among the Celts and the orientation to 14 nights, which was present among the ancient Germans.

It will be interesting to note that the ancient Egyptian calendar of Thoth was based on a 10-day cycle. But the seven-day period was popular in Ancient Babylon (about 2 thousand years BC).

In ancient Babylon, the seven-day cycle was associated with the phases of the moon. She was seen in the sky for about 28 days: 7 days the Moon increases to the first quarter; she needs the same amount until the full moon.

Also, the 7-day cycle was used by the ancient Jews. The notes of the Jewish historian Josephus Flavius, dated to the 1st century AD, include the following words related to the seven days: "There is not a single city, Greek or barbarian, and not a single people, to which our custom of abstaining from work would not extend on the seventh day."

Jews and Christians adopted a 7-day cycle, because. the Old Testament indicated a 7-day weekly cycle established by God (the process of creating the world in 7 days):

first day - the creation of light

second day - the creation of firmament and water

the third day - the creation of sushi and plants

fourth day - the creation of heavenly bodies

fifth day - the creation of birds and fish

the sixth day - the creation of reptiles, animals and man.

the seventh day is dedicated to rest.

From an astronomical point of view, the motivation behind the 7-Day is pretty simple. All calendar calculations of the ancient peoples were based on the lunar phases.

Their observation was the most convenient and simple method for calculating and characterizing time periods.

It is worth noting that in the ancient Roman calendar, the names of all 7 days of the week are associated with the names of the luminaries that can be seen with the naked eye, namely: the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn.

In the modern calendar, these names can be found thanks to Rome, which spread them throughout Western Europe. And yet the calendar has always been used as an ideological weapon. Despite the cosmic rhythms, the Chinese and Japanese emperors, for example, introduced their own calendars to once again assert their power. Tried several times in Europechange 7 day cycle, but there was no violation of the sequence of days.

Why is a week called a week

It doesn’t matter at all (from a theoretical point of view) from which day to count the week, since this is a cycle. You just need to divide the days into workdays and weekends. The word "week" is familiar to us, and we do not even try to think about where this word came from.

Before the adoption of Christianity, it was customary to call the week a day off, and this day was the first of the week. But then the "day off" was made a day, which completes the weekly cycle. The word week came from antiquity, where there was an expression "not to do", which meant "to do nothing", in other words, "weekend" or, as we now call "Sunday".
Since I had to rest after work, and not before it, Sunday became the final day of the week.

Today, according to the regulation of the International Organization for Standardization, the week starts on Monday. It is worth noting that before the term "week" was used, these same seven days were called "week" (in Bulgarian, a week is still called "week"). The last day of the week was considered a period when no one does anything, and since a week is the period from Sunday to Sunday (from "not doing" to "not doing"), it was the word "week" that came into use.

Why are the days of the week named so?

Why is Monday called that?

According to one version, in Slavic languages, Monday means the day "after the week", because. "week", as already mentioned, is an old word for this Sunday. In Europe, Monday was considered a lunar day, i.e. afternoon, patroness which was the moon.

In English - Monday (Moon day = moon day)

In Latin - Dies Lunae

In French - Lundi

In Spanish - el Lunes

Italian - Lunedi

Why is Tuesday so called?

In Slavic languages, Tuesday means the "second" day after Sunday.

In Latin - Dies Martis

French - Mardi

In Spanish - el Martes

Italian - Martedi

You can guess that in some European languages, the name of Tuesday comes from the god Mars.

But in European languages ​​from the Germanic group, the emphasis was placed on the ancient Greek god Tiu (Tiu, Ziu), which is an analogue of Mars (Finnish - Tiistai, English - Tuesday, German - Dienstag).

Why is Wednesday called that?

Among the Slavs, "Wednesday" or "Wednesday" denotes the middle of the week, as well as in German Mittwoch, and in Finnish Keskeviikko. Previously, it was believed that the week began on Sunday, so Wednesday was its middle.

In Latin - Dies Mercuri

In French - le Mercredi

In Spanish - el Miercoles

In Italian - Mercoledi

In the name you can see the name of the god-planet Mercury.

If you delve into other languages, you will find that the English word Wednesday comes from the god Woden (Woden, Wotan). It is also "hidden" in the Swedish Onstag, the Dutch Woenstag and the Danish Onsdag. This god was represented as a tall, thin old man dressed in a black cloak. He became famous for the creation of the runic alphabet - this is what connects him with Mercury - the patron god of written and oral speech.

Why is Thursday so called?

In Slavic languages, the name of this day most likely simply means a number, i.e. fourth day. This word comes from the common Slavic word "fourth". Most likely, over time, "t" fell out, and the sound "k" became more sonorous, as it follows the sonorant sound "r".

In Latin - Dies Jovis

French - Jeudi

Spanish - Jueves

Italian - Giovedi

Thursday in European languagesdescended from the militant Jupiter.

The counterpart of Jupiter in the Germanic languages ​​was Thor, son of Oden, from which originated in English Thursday, in Finnish Torstai, in Swedish Torsdag, in German, Donnerstag, and in Danish Torsdag.

Why is it called Friday

Obviously, in the Slavic languages, the meaning lies in the number five, i.e. Friday = fifth day after Sunday.

In French - Vendredi

Spanish - Viernes

In Italian - Venerdi

It is logical to assume that the name of this day in some European languages ​​comes from the Roman goddess Venus.

Her analogue in the German-Scandinavian myths is the goddess of love and war Freya (Frigg, Freyra) - from her originated in English Friday, in Swedish Fredag, in German Freitag.

Why is Saturday called that?

The word "Saturday" came to us from the Old Slavonic language. Previously, it was taken from the Greek language (Sabbaton), and it got into Greek from the Hebrew language (sabbath, i.e. "seventh day", when work is not welcome). It will be interesting to note that in Spain "el Sabado", in Italy "Sabato", in France "Samedi" this word has the same roots. In Hebrew "Shabbat" means "peace, rest".

In Latin - Saturni

In English - Saturday

Saturn can be seen in these names.

In Finnish "Lauantai", Swedish "Lördag", Danish "Loverdag" most likely have roots in the Old German Laugardagr, which means "day of ablution" in translation.

Why is Sunday called that?

In many languages, including Latin, English and German, the name of the last day of the week comes from the Sun - "Sun", "Son".

But in Russian (Sunday), Spanish (Domingo), French (Dimanche) and Italian (Domenica), Christian themes lurk. Domingo, Dimanche and Domenica can be translated as "Day of the Lord".

Earlier in Russian this day was called "Week" (i.e. do not do-rest). But since the word "week" implied a specific day, what could the seven-day cycle be called? As mentioned earlier, the word "week" existed in the Slavic languages. "Sunday" is derived from "resurrect" - the day when, according to the scriptures, Jesus was resurrected.

First of all, it is worth understanding why a week is called a “week”. It turns out earlier, long before the adoption of Christianity, Sunday was called a week. And it was the first day of the week. But later, Sunday began to be considered the last day, ending the week. Why? Let's figure it out.

The word "week" happened from the combination “not to do”, that is, to rest. It’s wiser to rest after work (remember the Russian proverb “Done the job - walk boldly!”), Therefore, the most “loafing” day was the last. Today, starting the week on Monday is regulated by the International Organization for Standardization.

But first, it was the “week” (the day of the week, which later became “Sunday”) that began the seven-day period. Apparently, before a week (in the modern sense) called not "week", but "week"(in Bulgarian, by the way, even now the “week” is called “week”). And then they called the week "week" (seven days from week to week - from Sunday to Sunday).

ORIGIN OF THE NAMES OF THE DAYS OF THE WEEK

Why is Monday called Monday? The word "Monday" is derived from "after the week." Monday was the first day after Sunday, which was called "week" in ancient times. The root of the word is Monday. It is formed in a suffix way (suffix -nick-).

Why is Tuesday called Tuesday? Tuesday - from the word "second". The second day after the "week" (this Sunday). Notice - not the second day of the week, but the second after the week. Root - second, suffix - nickname.

Why is the environment called environment? This word also came from Old Slavonic (like “week”, “Monday”, “Tuesday”). It has a common root with the words "heart", "middle". Note: Wednesday is the middle of the week only if the week starts on a Sunday. This day is between the first three days of the week and the last. Nowadays, when the week starts on Monday, "Wednesday" does not live up to its name.

Why was Wednesday not called “tretenik” (by analogy with “Tuesday”) or “treteinik” (although, according to some sources, it was “treteinik” that the environment was called in ancient times)? And remember the names of the fingers! The one in the middle is called the middle finger, not the third or some other. In ancient times, the middle was given special meaning (it’s not for nothing that “middle” and “heart” are the same root words).

Interestingly, in some other languages, the day of the week "Wednesday" is translated literally as "middle" (for example, in German Mittwoch).

Some researchers argue that Wednesday is not the middle of a seven-day week, but of a five-day one. Allegedly, at first the week consisted of five days, and then, due to the influence of the Christian church, two additional days were added to it.

Why is Thursday called Thursday? Like "Tuesday", the word "Thursday" is formed in accordance with the ordinal number of the day of the week after Sunday. "Thursday" is formed from the common Slavic word "fourth", which, in turn, was formed from the word "fourth" in a suffixal way. Most likely, over time, the sound “t” fell out - the “four” remained, and gradually the sound “k” “voiced”, as it follows the sonorous (always sonorous) sound “r”. As a result, we have a day of the week called "Thursday".

Why is Friday called Friday? Friday is a little more complicated. Of course, the word is formed from the number "five" (the fifth day after the start of the week). But why not “Friday” or “Pyatak”? The fact is that even before the adoption of Christianity, the Slavic goddess Friday (related to the fifth day) was revered. Therefore, the fifth day was named after the goddess Friday, and not Friday.

Why is Saturday called Saturday? The word came from the Old Slavonic language. Once it was borrowed from the Greek language (from the Greek Sabbaton). And in the Greek language, it came from the Hebrew language (from sabbath - "the seventh day when you need to refrain from work"). Shabbat is a Hebrew word that literally means “rest”, “rest”.

By the way, the word "sabbath" has the same roots, so "Sabbath" and "sabbath" are related words. It is also interesting that not only in Russian the name of this day of the week comes from the Hebrew "Shabbat": in Spanish, and in Italian, and in French, the word for Saturday has the same origin. However, in many other languages. The explanation is simple - the spread of the Christian religion influenced the dictionaries of many languages.

Why is Sunday called Sunday? Sunday - this word, as already mentioned, has replaced the word "week". It arose, of course, after the adoption of Christianity in Rus'. The word is derived from "resurrect". Formed in a suffix way (suffix -enij-). This is the day on which, according to the scriptures, Jesus was resurrected.

Have you ever wondered why the days of the week are called that? Those. no one doubts that even a junior schoolboy can easily list them from Monday to Sunday, and he will do it in several languages ​​at once. For example, in Russian, English and German.

But even not every adult can explain the meaning of the days of the week. Such a question, you see, could well be asked to connoisseurs of the well-known program “What? Where? When?". However, not everything is as complicated as it might seem at first glance.

The origin of the word "week"

In order to explain why the days of the week are called so, it is still worthwhile to first define some general concepts.

The word “week”, familiar to us, appeared even before the birth of the Christian faith. So called Sunday, which was in those days the first day of the week. It was later that he became the final one. According to experts, the original week was called a week. The word itself comes from the combination "not to do", that is, to spend time on vacation. As a result, the “laziest” day of the week became the last. And rightly so, in order to rest, you first need to be pretty tired, which means you have to work.

In our time, the week begins on Monday, recognized by the ISO International Organization for the release of standards.

Monday is a hard day

About why the names of the days of the week are exactly like that, there are a lot of legends and fairy tales among any nation.

However, let's still delve into history and try to find a more rational explanation.

The name "Monday" comes from the phrase "after the week." This is the first day following Sunday, which in ancient times was called a week. is monday-, and it is formed in a suffixal way with the addition -.

Day Two - Tuesday

The next day is Tuesday. Looking closely at the word, it is easy to guess how it was once formed. The word consists of the root vtor-, that is, the second in order from the beginning of the week, and the suffix -nik-.

And here is the middle

The name "environment" also has an Old Slavonic origin and a common meaning with the words "middle" and "heart". Interestingly, Wednesday is considered the middle of the week only when the week countdown starts from Sunday. Nowadays, this day does not really live up to its name, since the week starts on Monday. By the way, the facts testify that in ancient times the medium had the name "treteynik".

Thursday

In some languages, not only in Russian, the day between Tuesday and Thursday means the middle. Some scholars even claim that initially the week consisted of five days, but under the influence of the Christian church, then two more days were added.

The fourth day after Sunday was formed from the common Slavic word "fourth", which also came from the word "fourth" with the help of a suffixal method.

Gradually, this day of the week began to be called Thursday.

Friday - sleep soon

The fifth day after Sunday is a little more difficult. This name also appeared from the serial number "five", but it got its name on the fifth day in honor of the Slavic goddess Pyatnitsa, who had a direct relation to it before. That is why it is called "Friday" and not "Friday" or "pyatak".

Finally Saturday!

It is simply impossible to tell why the days of the week are called that without mentioning the first day of the weekend.

The Sabbath day originates from the Greek word sabbaton, which appeared due to the Hebrew dialect. The Hebrew word sabbath (Shabbat) means "a day of rest and joy," when one must refrain from any work.

The very name "Saturday" came from the Old Slavonic language. Interestingly, the words "Saturday" and "Sabbath" are the same root. In most languages, the name of this day of the week has a common derivation from the Hebrew word "Sabbath". The advent of Christian theology had a great influence on the lexicon of many languages.

Sunday - the crown of the week

The name "Sunday" appeared after the arrival of Christianity on the territory of Rus' and replaced the word "week". It is derived from the word "resurrect" and is formed by adding the suffix -eni-. According to Scripture, it was on this day of the week that Jesus Christ was resurrected.

Do children need days of the week?

To understand and comprehend all of the above for adults will not be any problem. But what about the kids? After all, it is they, you see, who tend to ask a huge number of clarifying questions, which are sometimes simply impossible to get rid of.

At the very beginning, the child needs to be explained that there are seven days in a week, each of which has a specific name. The first five days are working days, when adults work and children attend kindergarten or school. Weekends include Saturday and Sunday. Everyone is resting these days.

After that, according to experts, it is already possible to start studying temporary concepts (today, tomorrow, yesterday). For an easier perception of this topic, you need to analyze specific examples with the child. For example, talk about what happened yesterday or will happen tomorrow.

Most likely, a curious child will certainly want to know why the days of the week are called so. You can try to tell him, highlighting the most important thing in the general flow of information. And it’s better, by the way, to do it in a dosed way, because. such a volume of fairly complex new facts is unlikely to be remembered the first time.

Having learned to recognize the days of the week, the child will be able to plan and manage his time in the future, become more independent and organized. Any interest on his part should be encouraged by the parents. It is important for the child to understand what day of the week has come and what will happen on that day.

The names of the days of the week are used very often in everyday life. Therefore, the child hears these words from a very early age, not yet understanding their meaning, but he already begins to memorize this information and get used to it. The attention of the child should be focused on important celebrations for the family, the arrival of close relatives, etc. Discussing these dates in the family circle contributes to the development and learning of the child. This makes it easier to absorb new information.

There are many ways to help remember the names of the days of the week. Here are the simplest ones:

• You can draw a simple calendar, where all the days of the week will be indicated, hang it in the most visible place. It will be interesting for the child to consider and discuss with an adult every day of the week. For more variety, you can write next to each day the events that occurred during the day.
• Simple rhymes that should be constantly repeated with a small child will help you learn these names faster. At first, it will be difficult for him, but over time, the baby will remember them and learn to distinguish them on his own.
• Making simple charts and signs that will reflect the planned events, as well as joint conversations about future family plans. All this will allow the child to get to know the concept of “days of the week” better.

Be patient, because this is a rather difficult process for a small child. Only with constant study and repetition will he be able to understand these words and not get confused in their order.