Days…

Bits and pieces by Lois

I’m not sure I actually know why there are seven days in a week, I think it may have been the ancient Babylonians who started it… and I think there have been other lengths of week in other cultures, for example during twelve years at the time of the French Revolution, France had a totally decimalised calendar. The months were given different names and the days were called First day, Second day, Third day etc:

  • primidi )
  • duodi
  • tridi
  • quartidi
  • quintidi
  • sextidi
  • septidi
  • octidi
  • nonidi
  • décadi

The Greeks I think start their week from  the Lord’s Day, Sunday,  and then also have Second Day, Third Day etc

  • Kyrialie
  • Deftera
  • Triti
  • Tetarti
  • Pemdi
  • paraskevi  – preparation day (for Sunday)
  • Sabatto – Sabbath

…and in India:

  • रविवार – Ravivār – Surya (the Sun),
  • सोमवार  – Somavār – Soma (the Moon)
  • मंगलवार  – Mangalavār – Mangala (Mars)
  • बुधवार  – Budhavār – Budha (Mercury)
  • गुरूवार  – Guruvār – Guru (Jupiter)
  • शुक्रवार  – Shukravār- Shukra (Venus)
  • शनिवार  – Shanivār – Shani (Saturn)

I think I’ll investigate more, and see what else I can discover about days of the week!

 

16 Comments

  1. Rhys Jones
    Reply

    This is fascinating stuff. I think it is amazing that the whole world eventually agreed on a single calendar. My grandmother was born in Russia just before they changed from the Julian to the Gregorian Calendar. Some of her documentation shows dates followed by the letters “OS”. Apparently it indicates Old Style calendar. Russia changed in 1918 and “lost” 13 days!

    Like

    1. Lois
      Reply

      That’s such a fascinating idea, isn’t it… ‘losing’ time! I wonder what people thought about it – especially if their birthday fell on one of the missing days!

      Like

  4. david lewis
    Reply

    I haven’t but my brother has. Don’t know anything about my Mothers side but my Dads side makes some interesting reading to say the least. In the final chapter my Dad comes to Canada and not because he wanted to. I’ll leave that a secret.

    Like

  5. david lewis
    Reply

    I read Andrews blog every day. Thats how I fortunately met you. Years ago I met a nice old man and I told him I was from England. He asked if I was a home-boy. I didn’t know what he meant until I read Andrews blog about shipping children to Canada. I guess I’m somewhat of a home-boy. Never really grew up.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lois
      Reply

      Actually the story is more complicated than that… I used to have two friends, lads, and the three of us lived together in various flats, until one of them was able to buy a property for us all… which he did… which was the house on Beech Road. The old lady who had lived in it before was the original person who owned it – her husband had built it. Andrew used to come and stay, and when things were a built tricky for him, he moved in for a while. Then we all went our separate ways, someone else bought the house… then a couple of years later it was on the market again, so Andrew bought it! He’s lived in it ever since! Whenever I visit, it’s lovely, going back to where I once lived!!

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  7. david lewis
    Reply

    Funny that when you meet someone you haven’t seen in years you think how much they have changed from when you knew them last. All the while they are thinking the same of you. When my Dad got his first old age pension check he held it up to my Mother and asked if she knew what it meant? He said it meant they were living on borrowed time. Sad commentary on life, but true.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lois
      Reply

      … and sometimes people just don’t seem to change, it’s as if the young them is just hiding, and will leap out when you get chatting!
      Yes… your dad was right… but let’s hope we have plenty of it!

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