# which is the first day of the week?



## jorge_val_ribera

Hello everybody!

I would like to know your personal preference about this matter... For you, which is the first day of the week? 
And why is it so? Is it a cultural/religious matter? Convenience? 

I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions! Thanks, bye!


----------



## me82

to me, it's Monday and i have no clue why... i guess it's because the last day of the week "end" is Sunday.


----------



## timpeac

I remember being told that it was officially changed in the UK from Sunday to Monday about 8 years ago. No idea if I am just passing on hearsay or not.


----------



## elroy

To me, it's Sunday.

That's what I've always been taught and the way I was brought up.


----------



## LanceKitty

I choose Monday. I've always seen Sunday as the last day of the week since we call it a weekEND along with Friday and Saturday.


----------



## Markus

I would say Monday because that's when the week starts up again, people go back to work and school, etc.


----------



## JLanguage

At least in the US it's Sunday. We often consider Sunday part of the weekend because many people are off from work or school, but technically it always has been the start of the week.


----------



## GenJen54

> Originally posted by *JLanguage*
> At least in the US it's Sunday. We often consider Sunday part of the weekend because many people are off from work or school, but technically it always has been the start of the week.



I agree with JLanguage, at least in theory.  Most, but not all, calendars that are confiugred in a monthly format show Sunday as the start of the week (at the beginning of each row).  

From a personal standpoint, I have always considered Sunday to be the "end" of the week, as it is the "end of the week-END," after which, on Monday, we start the whole routine all over again.


----------



## JLanguage

In Israel it's Sunday, which is known there as Yom Rishon, or "First Day". Monday is Yom Sheni, "Second Day" and so on. Saturday is not known as the seventh day is Yom Shabbat, "Sabbath Day". It's commonly shortened to "Shabbat"


----------



## cuchuflete

In Portuguese, Monday is called segunda feira...hence Sunday must be the first.


----------



## Jana337

In the Czech Republic, like in most countries of Europe (I assume), it is Monday.

Jana


----------



## Merlin

In the Philippines, It's definitely Monday. Although sometimes we get confused about what day it is especially if you're working on a 24/7 company. Normally you don't get day-off on weekends.


----------



## rob.returns

I'll put my bet on MOnday..

Ever heard the song...MANic Monday...

I think most countries and people would agree.


----------



## mari.kit

i voted for *Monday!*


----------



## timpeac

If it's not Monday my boss is going to be wondering where I was today...


----------



## BasedowLives

Well when i say the days of the week i always start with Sunday first.  so i picked that.


----------



## elroy

I agree that Sunday is the first day of the week in the Christian tradition.  After all, Christ arose on the "first day of the week" (Luke 24:1) and we celebrate Easter on Sunday.  There's got to be some logic to that.  

PS: In the Moslem tradition (I would urge Moslems to correct me if I'm wrong), the first day of the week is *Saturday*.


----------



## QUIJOTE

I am not sure how this is of any confusion at least for the american part, all you have to do is look at a calendar the first day is sunday and last is saturday also called week-end.


----------



## tey2

I voted for Monday, I think because I became use to the thought that when it's Monday it's the start of the week, another routine and like what others mentioned Sunday is a weekEND. But I don't really know if Monday really is the first day of the week.


----------



## amikama

JLanguage said:
			
		

> In Israel it's Sunday, which is known there as Yom Rishon, or "First Day". Monday is Yom Sheni, "Second Day" and so on. Saturday is not known as the seventh day is Yom Shabbat, "Sabbath Day". It's commonly shortened to "Shabbat"


And weekend is Friday-Saturday. Sunday is always workday (unless it's a holiday, of course).


----------



## Outsider

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> In Portuguese, Monday is called segunda feira...hence Sunday must be the first.


My feelings exactly.


----------



## LanceKitty

QUIJOTE said:
			
		

> I am not sure how this is of any confusion at least for the american part, all you have to do is look at a calendar the first day is sunday and last is saturday also called week-end.


 
I've actually seen and owned a calendar that starts the week with Mondays. It had me mixing dates all the time...


----------



## gian_eagle

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> In Portuguese, Monday is called segunda feira...hence Sunday must be the first.


 
You are right, Cuchuflete. I think that it depends on the country you are from, apart from language and religion...


----------



## GenJen54

_



			Originally posted by *Quijote* I am not sure how this is of any confusion at least for the american part, all you have to do is look at a calendar the first day is sunday and last is saturday also called week-end.

Click to expand...

_Hi Quijote,

Any calendar, be it American or other, originated somewhere from a religious tradition of keeping and managing time; either Christian, Jewish or Islamic. As other forer@s have discussed, the "first day of the week" is often determined by which religious calendar one follows, and on which day a particular culture chooses to celebrate the "sabbath."

Elroy, this seems to back you up about the muslim week:



> The Jews of the 4th century retained their by then 800-1700 year-old tradition of Saturday observance, and continue to do so. Later, after the establishment of Islam, Friday became that religion's day of observance -- however the _Islamic week still begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday, just like the Judeo-Christian week_.


----------



## Honeylhanz

As far as i know SUNDAY is the first day of the week. The reason why....,,, i don't know...,,, I just can't explain it very well.... However as what we all noticed in our calendar (philippines calendar) that sunday is the first day of the week... and saturday is the week end.


----------



## Outsider

GenJen54 said:
			
		

> Any calendar, be it American or otherwise, originated somewhere from a religious tradition of keeping and managing time; either Christian, Jewish or Islamic. As other forer@s have discussed, the "first day of the week" is often determined by which religious calendar one follows, and on which day a particular culture chooses to celebrate the "sabbath."


It seems also that pragmatic (financial?) considerations, and a literal reading of the phrase "weekend", have led people to place Sunday at the end of the week, in some countries.


----------



## GenJen54

I don't disagree. 

Any calendar notwithstanding (mine happens to begin on a Sunday), I still consider "Sunday" to be the "end of the week," as I noted in my first post of this thread.


----------



## *Cowgirl*

To me Monday is the beginning of the week. That's when school/work resumes.  Sunday just "feels" like the weekend, regardless of what the calendar says.


----------



## QUIJOTE

GenJen54 said:
			
		

> Hi Quijote,
> 
> Any calendar, be it American or other, originated somewhere from a religious tradition of keeping and managing time; either Christian, Jewish or Islamic. As other forer@s have discussed, the "first day of the week" is often determined by which religious calendar one follows, and on which day a particular culture chooses to celebrate the "sabbath."
> 
> Elroy, this seems to back you up about the muslim week:


 
 Ah yes, the religion part...I agree, but I think that most people confuse the week days because we tend to associate it with rest periods (weekends) being this for most saturday and sunday we get back to work on monday and feel as if it is the first day but is not.


LanceKitty 
I've actually seen and owned a calendar that starts the week with Mondays. It had me mixing dates all the time... 


I know, I have seen them too, is just plain weird to me.


----------



## SweetMommaSue

Hello Everybody!

Well, here in America most of the calendars begin with "Sunday" as the first day, and I was always taught that Sunday is the first day of the week.  However, because of the way most work weeks are set-up and schools, too, "Monday" *feels* like the first day of the week.  So, for me, I claim Monday to be the beginning of the work/school week.  Sunday is the last day of the "weekEND"; though for my boys, Sunday is a school night as they have school the next day.  Weekend nights are considered to be Friday and Saturday for them.  Great! Any more questions that I can give confusing answers to?

Smiles! 
SweetMommaSue


----------



## Whisky con ron

In Spanish, if I got asked to name the days of the week I would start with Lunes (Monday), so I'd say that's the start....


----------



## Beautiful Princess

jorge_val_ribera said:
			
		

> Hello everybody!
> 
> I would like to know your personal preference about this matter... For you, which is the first day of the week?
> And why is it so? Is it a cultural/religious matter? Convenience?
> 
> I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions! Thanks, bye!


 
For me it's sunday.. though it's not in the poll.. that's what I was taught.. religious speaking,

But for convenience, I will vote, monday..


----------



## Mitcheck

I believe that the first day of the week is Sunday. I can't see the logic thou I actually start my work on Monday.


----------



## meili

Beautiful Princess said:
			
		

> For me it's sunday.. though it's not in the poll.. that's what I was taught.. religious speaking,
> But for convenience, I will vote, monday..



Sunday is in the poll, Princess.   Right below Saturday - fourth line - and I voted for it as the first day, my favorite day of the week apart from Friday.


----------



## foxfirebrand

Those of you who voted for Sunday have already laid some of the groundwork for old age-- or you're old already.

http://www.4woman.gov/HIV/images/pillbox.jpg

Or, if you like:

http://www.europa-med.com/acatalog/25734%20weekly%20pill%20box.jpg

Wait a minute, the days on the actual pillbox don't match the ones in the caption-- I guess there are various versions you can order. At any rate, the question would still seem open to interpretation.

And if all this isn't confusing enough:

http://www.bluffcitywholesale.com/images/pillbox/67824.jpg
.


----------



## mahaz

ofcourse ots Monday.....because currently we do have holiday on sunday and working days start from Monday...so, I am use to of it.


----------



## blancalaw

I voted Sunday because as I am looking at my version of the calendar, I see Sunday as the first box on the left.  Other than that, my work week would begin on Monday.


----------



## nichec

Oh, of course it's Monday, because I always have "Monday blue"


----------



## Brioche

In the Jewish/Christian/Islamic traditions, Sunday is the first day of the week, and the first day of creation.

According to the Bible, God rested on the Seventh Day (Saturday).
G-d commanded His people to rest on the Seventh Day, just as he did.
This is the origin of the Jewish Sabbath (sabbath means rest).

Because Jesus Christ rose on Sunday, the Christians (well, most of them) transferred their day of rest to the first day of the week = Sunday.

There are some Christian groups who follow the Jewish rules, and rest on Saturday. Among them are the *Seventh-Day* Adventists, so called because they rest on the seventh day = Saturday.

The Muslim day for community prayers is Friday, the sixth day.

If you look at a traditional calendar, the first day is Sunday, Wednesday is in the middle and Saturday at the end.
This is why in German Wednesday is called "Mid-week" (Mittwoch).

Just to confuse things, in Germany, in 1975, the Government decreed the first day of the week to be Monday. From then on, calendars printed in Germany start with Monday.


----------



## timpeac

*According to the Bible, God rested on the Seventh Day (Saturday).*

Not saying you're wrong at all - it is literally just a question - how do you know the seventh day was Saturday?


----------



## diegodbs

In Spain, Monday is the first day of the week.


----------



## kevinleihuang

From my point of view, the beginning of a week is the day when people get back from the rest and devote themselves to the work or study. Since Sunday is traditionally considered as a day when people take a rest after five-day work, I think Monday should be the beginning of a week.


----------



## lautr

Hello! I want to know which is the first day of the week in the different countries (or cultures, religions...)
I propose that you say where do you live and what is the first day of the week in your calendar.

In Spain the week begins on Monday.


----------



## giuliotta

In Italy too!
Monday is the first day!
But in USA (and maybe in UK too, I don't know) Sunday is the first day of the week.
xxx
Bye!


----------



## Maja

Monday in Serbia.


----------



## Hakro

The week of the workers ends in Friday, so Saturday must be the first day of the next week.


----------



## danielfranco

Sunday is the first day of the week. But, for paycheck purposes, most weeks end on Sunday and begin on Monday. Both in the States and in Mexico, at least in the places where I've lived before.
And, besides, Sunday being the day put aside to worship the most important god, it must be the first day of the week... (The reference is to Sol Invictus, alright?)


----------



## TRG

The weekEND begins on Saturday, no?  So, if Saturday is the beginning of the end of the week, then Sunday must be the end, and Monday clearly is the beginning.  I hope that's clear


----------



## sharon7

Well, I work Monday to Friday and I'm off Saturday and Sunday so regardless of the color-coded  calendars or any religion, to me MONDAY is the first day of the week. I think anyone who follows the same work schedule would agree.


----------



## fenixpollo

sharon7 said:


> Well, I work Monday to Friday and I'm off Saturday and Sunday so regardless of the color-coded  calendars or any religion, to me MONDAY is the first day of the week. I think anyone who follows the same work schedule would agree.


 That's a bold generalization, sharon. 

My calendar is not color-coded, but the first day of the week on the calendar is Sunday. That's how things work in my culture, where there is a distinction made between the "week" and the "work week", where it's not contradictory to start the week in the middle of the weekend. 

It doesn't matter whether I agree with the custom, or whether I agree with you... that's just how things work around here.


----------



## Brioche

TRG said:


> The weekEND begins on Saturday, no?  So, if Saturday is the beginning of the end of the week, then Sunday must be the end, and Monday clearly is the beginning.  I hope that's clear



Traditionally, Sunday is the first day of the week. 

It follows the Genesis story, where God created the world in six days, and rested on the seventh day. 

This is why Saturday, the Seventh Day, is the Jewish sabbath and day of rest.

The Christians made the first day of the week, Sunday, their 'special' day, because Jesus rose on Sunday.

Some Christian groups have Saturday as their day of rest. One well-known group is the SEVENTH-DAY Adventists. So called because they follow the Commandment to keep the Seventh Day [Saturday] holy.

In German, Wednesday is called Mittwoch = Midweek, and if you follow the rule that Sunday is the first day, Wednesday is indeed the Mid-Week Day. German reference books printed prior to 1975 state that Sunday is the first day of the week.

In 1975 the West German government officially made Monday the first day of the week, and since then German calendars have been printed with Monday as the first day of the week. 

Traditional calendars elsewhere still have Sunday as the first day.


----------



## Kajjo

Personally, I strongly prefer Monday as first day of the week. This is my personal feeling. The week-end is the end of the week for me. I work five days, then I rest two days. Monday, a new week starts. I believe that the vast majority of Germans feel this way.

Kajjo


----------



## alexacohen

Hello everyone:
This is all very well for people who do not work shifts.
For me, and people like me, the first day of the week is the first day of work after our days off.
The first day of the week may be each and every one of them. 
When someone has been working on a roster for a long time (i. e. doctors, pilots, sailors, soldiers...) weekends have no meaning at all!


----------



## suslik

well, for me the first day of the week is Monday, because it's like this in Estonia And the sunday is then the last one, like it says - weekEND


----------



## Outsider

Well, in the Bible it says that God rested on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath (Saturday), so obviously Sunday is the first day. You can't argue with the word of God.  
As for modern fashions like the weekend, I say it's called that way because it's when the week ends -- but it's also when a new week begins.


----------



## TrentinaNE

I'm just wonderering what earthly difference the answer makes -- other than getting used to the way your calendar presents it.   I've never heard anyone, e.g., make an appointment for "the first day of the week."


----------



## badgrammar

I suppose it's just tradition.  My French husband found it quite odd that I thought of Sunday as the first day of the week, I though it odd that he said it was Monday.  When we compared calendars, of course it became clear, in the U.S. Sunday is considered the first day of the week, in France, Monday is the first day.

Doesn't really make any difference, and I think Brioche's explanation - and now I see Outsider's, as well (which goes back to Judeo-Christian beliefs) - covers why it is considered Sunday in certain parts of the world.  Could it be that in English speaking countries there is some sort of tradition going back to the Anglican church?  

Like I said, it doesn't really matter, but it is an interesting question.


----------



## Kajjo

Outsider said:


> Well, in the Bible it says that God rested on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath (Saturday), so obviously Sunday is the first day. You can't argue with the word of God.


I like to argue!  In contrast to Judaism, whole Christianity celebrates SUNDAY as holy day and the day you should not work. That would clearly mean that in our Western culture the Sundays has taken the role of the 7th day of God's work. Thus, Monday is the first day for Christians. Why else should they rest on Sundays?

Kajjo


----------



## Qcumber

I have the impression Protestant countries follow the Jewish tradition (Saturday is the last day, so Sunday is the first) whereas Roman Catholic countries follow the Christian tradition where Sunday is the 7th day when people rest and go to church, so Monday is the first day.


----------



## Brioche

Qcumber said:


> I have the impression Protestant countries follow the Jewish tradition (Saturday is the last day, so Sunday is the first) whereas Roman Catholic countries follow the Christian tradition where Sunday is the 7th day when people rest and go to church, so Monday is the first day.



Well, I clearly remember the Catholic priest of my childhood, saying on Sunday, how we gathered on the FIRST day of the week.

Here is a quote from the Catholic Encyclopedia:
_Sunday (Day of the Sun), as the name of the *first day* of the week, is derived from Egyptian astrology._ 
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14335a.htm


----------



## Outsider

Kajjo said:


> I like to argue!  In contrast to Judaism, whole Christianity celebrates SUNDAY as holy day and the day you should not work. That would clearly mean that in our Western culture the Sundays has taken the role of the 7th day of God's work. Thus, Monday is the first day for Christians. Why else should they rest on Sundays?


Kajjo, the Catholic Church's ecclesiastical calendar disagrees with you. Its (Latin) names for the days of the week are:

Dominicus (Sunday)
Feria secunda (literally "second holiday")
Feria tertia ("third holiday", etc.)
Feria quarta
Feria quinta
Feria sexta
Sabbatum

The fact that Sunday became the holy day for the Christians doesn't mean they're going to rewrite history and deny that, in the Old Testament (which is still part of the Bible), the holy day was Saturday.

The following links are from the Catholic Encyclopedia:

"Sunday" -- the first day of the week
'The Sunday , "the first day of the week" ( Acts 20:7 ; 1 Corinthians 16:2 ; cf. Revelation 1:10 ), soon replaced the Sabbath as the great day of religious observance, but the week itself remained as before.'
"Feria"

Needless to say, like Badgrammar, I don't give much importance to this question, although I will add that the matter is not as arbitrary in Portuguese as in other languages, since in this language the days of the week are numbered, and Monday has the number 2.


----------



## Qcumber

Brioche said:


> Well, I clearly remember the Catholic priest of my childhood, saying on Sunday, how we gathered on the FIRST day of the week.
> Here is a quote from the Catholic Encyclopedia:
> _Sunday (Day of the Sun), as the name of the *first day* of the week, is derived from Egyptian astrology._
> http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14335a.htm


 
Indeed! Quite striking and puzzling!
Are you sure it was not written by Catholics living in a predominantly Protestant country so under their influence just because the calendars available are all made with the Protestant system in mind because of some governmental decision?


----------



## Qcumber

Outsider said:


> Well, in the Bible it says that God rested on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath.


Does sabbath mean "seventh"?
Besides why would the God of the Bible begin his creation on a Sunday? What term has the Hebrew Bible for "Sunday" and what does it mean?


----------



## Outsider

Qcumber said:


> Quite striking and puzzling!
> Are you sure it was not written by Catholics living in a predominantly Protestant country so under their influence just because the calendars available are all made with the Protestant system in mind because of some governmental decision?


Frankly, you seem to be in denial. Let's do a reality check:

1) The Catholic Church officially favours Sunday as the first day of the week, and it always has.

2) Starting the week on Monday is a more recent tradition -- like Protestantism -- and apparently more widespread in Protestant countries.



Qcumber said:


> Besides why would the God of the Bible begin his creation on a Sunday?


Because it's the first day of the week?


----------



## Athaulf

Qcumber said:


> Indeed! Quite striking and puzzling!
> Are you sure it was not written by Catholics living in a predominantly Protestant country so under their influence just because the calendars available are all made with the Protestant system in mind because of some governmental decision?



Nope. Where I come from, the Habsburgs made sure that even the faintest trace of any Protestant influence was firmly shut out.  Yet, here's a bunch of Croatian Catholic pages declaring Sunday to be "the first day of the week".


----------



## Qcumber

Outsider said:


> Because it's the first day of the week?


I mean, from the moment the God of the Bible set a time system of a recurring seven-day week, there was no reason for him to begin his creation on a Sunday (whatever its name). He could have started any day since after Saturday a new week would begin.


----------



## Qcumber

Athaulf said:


> Nope. Where I come from, the Habsburgs made sure that even the faintest trace of any Protestant influence was firmly shut out.  Yet, here's a bunch of Croatian Catholic pages declaring Sunday to be "the first day of the week".


Well, if you look at *civil calendars* at the beginning of the 20th century, the week generally begins on Monday in Catholic countries and on Sunday in Protestant countries.


----------



## Outsider

What does the civil calendar have to do with being a Catholic or a Protestant?


----------



## Qcumber

Outsider said:


> What does the civil calendar have to do with being a Catholic or a Protestant?


In a given country, the civil calendar is the one everybody is supposed to use. It reflects the idiosyncracies of the dominant religion.


----------



## Outsider

Except for those Catholic countries you mentioned, where the civil calendar used to start on Monday.


----------



## ireney

Moderator's note: Quite a heated discussion judging by its theme!

Well, in Greece, an Orthodox country, the working week starts on Monday but Sunday is still the first day of the week from a religious point of view. Greek is one of the languages in which the names of the days reflect that: (Sunday = Κυριακή = Lord's day, Monday = Δευτέρα = Second day, Tuesday, 3rd day etc, Friday = Day of preparation (for Sabbath), Saturday = Σάββατο = Sabbath).

Theoretically therefore Sunday is the first day of the week but practically it's Monday.


----------



## danielfranco

I think all this weight and significance we want to give to the days of the week is more than anything just contextual. I mean to say, nowdays most everybody works what is known in Hispanic countries as "semana inglesa (English work week, maybe?)", where you have two days off after five days of work, which usually begin on Mondays. That, and all these stories about how the God rested on the seventh day, or that Constantine set up Sun Day as the most important day of the week because he thought he himself was Sol Invictus personified, or because the Great Pumpkin rises on early Monday mornings to buy donuts and coffee, well, all of those stories very much (and I mean, for many thousands of years) postdate the first observations by humans that, hey, look, guys, the moon is full every 28 days, cool, no? So how convenient if we divide that period in equal parts... Hmm... Seven weeks of four days each? Nah, not enough time to put in a solid week worth of work, no? Oh, well, won't you look at that? There's seven major celestial bodies in the sky! Wow!! They are brighter BY FAR than any other puny stars... Hmm... Let's see: the sun, the moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn (or whatever they called them back then) Cool! Seven celestial bodies. That's a pretty groovy week, if you ask me, and it fits nicely four times from moon to moon. Heck, maybe they aren't stars at all... Crap! They are probably the gods peeping into my personal life... Oh, my gato!! Quick, sacrifice the goat!

Or something like that...

But, regardless, it seems that which one is the first day of the week, in the present, depends on where you live.


----------



## Forero

I would like to point out that the women who found Jesus's tomb empty had come to the tomb very early in the morning on the first day of the week because they could not come in the dark or on the Sabbath.  According to the Bible, Jesus died at about 3 PM and was dead for three days.  Many traditions say that the three days were not really three whole days and that Jesus arose on Sunday morning, but the Bible itself says three days, and some (e.g. Jehovah's witnesses, I think) believe Jesus must have died on Wednesday and arisen on the Sabbath, at 3 PM.

What did happen on Sunday, according to the Bible, was that Christians used to meet on the first day of the week to collect money for their work and for the poor.

Perhaps it was easier to convert Romans to Christianity by allowing them to worship God on the Sun's day rather than confuse worship with Saturnalia or something.

The first day of the calendar week begins at 0:00 hrs on Sunday.  The Sabbath ends at sunset on Saturday, and the work week begins far too early on Monday morning.

When does the Muslim seventh day begin and end?


----------



## chicagriega

Hi Jorge!
 For me the first day of the week is definetly Monday. It is the day when all the fun stops and i start follow a programme. For the Greeks however Monday is called Deftera, which means second. Typically the first day of the week is Sunday maybe for religious causes. But you will find a lot of people who agree with me.
                                          Chicagriega


----------



## Qcumber

danielfranco said:


> That, and all these stories about how the God rested on the seventh day, or that Constantine set up Sun Day as the most important day of the week because he thought he himself was Sol Invictus personified, or because the Great Pumpkin rises on early Monday mornings to buy donuts and coffee, well, all of those stories very much (and I mean, for many thousands of years) postdate the first observations by humans that, hey, look, guys, the moon is full every 28 days, cool, no? So how convenient if we divide that period in equal parts... Hmm... Seven weeks of four days each? Nah, not enough time to put in a solid week worth of work, no? Oh, well, won't you look at that? There's seven major celestial bodies in the sky! Wow!! They are brighter BY FAR than any other puny stars... Hmm... Let's see: the sun, the moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn (or whatever they called them back then) Cool! Seven celestial bodies. That's a pretty groovy week, if you ask me, and it fits nicely four times from moon to moon.


You've perfectly summed it up, and it reasonably fits.
The Jews have a logical system. Because the God of the Bible orders them to rest every seventh day (Ex. 20:8...), they rest on Saturday, and begin their week on Sunday.
Why Christians officially rest on Sunday and begin their week on the same day is puzzling. This must be the reason why Sunday became the last day and Monday the first day when reasonable people has their say.
Incidentally, there were religious fanatics in 19th-c. Britain who campaigned against trains running on Sundays - which they called "the Sabbath".


----------



## Brioche

Qcumber said:


> Indeed! Quite striking and puzzling!
> Are you sure it was not written by Catholics living in a predominantly Protestant country so under their influence just because the calendars available are all made with the Protestant system in mind because of some governmental decision?



The Catholic priests of my youth were all Irish, and they would have done nothing that could be seen as Protestant, or following the ways of Protestants - particularly English Protestants!!

Our Catholic calendars, which had all the religious festivals, saints' days, &c, &c on them, all began on Sunday.

Here is a quote from one of the books I had in high school for religious studies. It is part of a discussion of the commandment "Keep holy the sabbath. "_In the New Testament, not the last day of the week, but Sunday, the first day of the week is to be observed."_

The teaching of the Catholic Church is that the Apostles, acting with the authority they had received from Christ, made the transfer.

Voltaire, in his novel "Candide" has a little joke about the meaning of the Sabbath. Cunegund is shared by the Jewish Merchant Don Issachar, and also by the Grand Inquisitor. Don Issachar gets her Monday, Wednesday and the Sabbath, and the Grand Inquisitor the other four days of the week.  But the two men squabble about whether the space from Saturday night to Sunday morning belongs to the old or the new law.


----------



## Athaulf

Qcumber said:


> The Jews have a logical system. Because the God of the Bible orders them to rest every seventh day (Ex. 20:8...), they rest on Saturday, and begin their week on Sunday.
> Why Christians officially rest on Sunday and begin their week on the same day is puzzling.



If you ask a Catholic theologian, you'll probably get the answer that for Christians, Sunday is not just a day for rest, but primarily for prayer and glorifying God -- and these spiritual needs are more important than the temporal, earthly matters that the rest of the week is dedicated to. Hence the Day of the Lord takes the prominent place of the first one in the week, when the most important things are handled. And of course, there is the tradition of numbering days going back to Judaism.


----------



## JamesM

I agree with Althauf.  I don't think the idea was resting so much as dedicating the day to God. 

Does anyone know when "weekend" first appeared?  I find it hard to imagine that it always meant Saturday and Sunday as days with no work, since that concept is so recent, at least in the U.S.


----------



## Brioche

Forero said:


> When does the Muslim seventh day begin and end?



The Muslim day and week are just like the Jewish.

In Arabic
Sunday is called _yaum al-ahad_ = Day the-one = First Day, 
Monday is called Second Day, 
Tuesday is Third Day, 
Wednesday is Fourth Day, 
Thursday is Fifth Day, and
Friday is Gathering Day.
Saturday is called _yaum as-sabt_ = sabbath.

The Muslim day, like the Jewish day, begins at sunset.

Muslims gather to pray on Friday because that is the day Adam was created, and entered the Garden. It's the same day as in the creation story of the first chapter of Genesis.


----------



## Brioche

Qcumber said:


> Does sabbath mean "seventh"?
> Besides why would the God of the Bible begin his creation on a Sunday? What term has the Hebrew Bible for "Sunday" and what does it mean?



Sabbath comes from the Hebrew for _rest_.
_And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made._
Genesis 2:2

The Jewish names for Sunday to Friday, are simply First Day, Second Day, &c. and Saturday is Shabbat.

The old Quakers objected to using pagan names for days and months, and just said Second Day, Third Month instead of Monday and March, and so on.


----------



## Etcetera

I vote for Monday. And I'm sure that virtually all my compatriots would vote for it. 
It still misguides me sometimes when I look at my mobile phone's calendar where Sunday is listed first. After all, there certainly *is *some reason why we call Saturday and Sundar weekend, as other forer@s already pointed out.


----------



## fenixpollo

JamesM said:


> Does anyone know when "weekend" first appeared? I find it hard to imagine that it always meant Saturday and Sunday as days with no work, since that concept is so recent, at least in the U.S.


 You can thank the labor movement in the first part of the 1900s.  _Unions: The people who brought you "the weekend"_.


----------



## jinti

Brioche said:


> The old Quakers objected to using pagan names for days and months, and just said Second Day, Third Month instead of Monday and March, and so on.


 
Some of us still do, at least in Quaker contexts. I'm off tomorrow to a Friends' Gathering in Pennsylvania (in a town called Bird-in-Hand, for those who like odd place names ). The schedule for the gathering is organized under the headings Sixth Day, Seventh Day, and First Day, meaning Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

Also, many Quaker meetings have First Day School for the kids, which would be Sunday School for most Christians.

Quakers aside, the official agenda/diary/day planner that my college hands out to all its employees every year starts the week on Sunday. The big write on-wipe off wall calendar on my office door does the same. And the calendar in the Microsoft Outlook email program that my college uses does, as well. Not that that makes it correct, only inescapable for me.


----------



## clairanne

hi

As far as I know it is still Sunday in UK.  I never did know why though as everything always starts again on Monday.  I expect all is lost in the mists of time. Maybe you had to go to church on the first day of the week to pray for success in your tasks for the week ahead.


----------



## timpeac

clairanne said:


> hi
> 
> As far as I know it is still Sunday in UK. I never did know why though as everything always starts again on Monday. I expect all is lost in the mists of time. Maybe you had to go to church on the first day of the week to pray for success in your tasks for the week ahead.


I heard - perhaps apocryphally - that this had been officially changed to Monday, but by whom or how I couldn't say.


----------



## clairanne

Hi

Apparently British and European standardisation says it is Monday- the article did not say when this happened-  but some calenders still use Sunday - It seems the choice is still ours!!! If It was an EC directive my inclination is to ignore it and stick to Sunday.


----------



## Maeskizzle

I couldn´t vote because I can´t decide if it should be Sunday or Monday for me.  Last year I had a Chilean calendar and the week started on Monday.  This year my folks gave me an American calendar and so the week starts on Sunday.  It's a bit confusing switching calendars so often.  I guess the best answer for me would be the relativist answer: when my calendar starts on Sunday so does my week, when my calendar starts on Monday, my weeks does too.  Though, now that I think about it I prefer it starting on Monday.  I like to see Saturday and Sunday together on paper rather than divided.


----------



## zooz

elroy said:


> PS: In the Moslem tradition (I would urge Moslems to correct me if I'm wrong), the first day of the week is *Saturday*.



You're right, Elroy. Saturday is the first day of many Middle Eastern countries. However, in Syria and since about two years that day, Saturday, has been changed to Sunday to be internationally more concurred with the majority of the countries. In Jordan the first day is Sunday since several years. In Lebanon it's Monday since long time.


----------



## Sepia

Vee, ze Germans offf course haff strikt rules about zeese matters - !!!

In fact there is a DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung) standard stating Monday as the first day of the week (DIN 1355) - and there is also an ISO standard to the same effect. (ISO 8601)


----------

