Week

First_Day_of_Week_World_Map.svg

== Week ==

A week is a time unit equal to seven days. It is the standard time period used for cycles of rest days in most parts of the world, mostly alongside—although not strictly part of—the Gregorian calendar. The days of the week are named after classical planets in various languages, and in English, they are: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

History

The concept of a seven-day week has its origins in ancient civilizations. The Babylonian calendar used a seven-day week, and this practice was later adopted by the Jews during the Babylonian captivity. The seven-day week was also used in the Roman calendar and was later adopted by Christianity and Islam.

Days of the Week

Each day of the week has its own significance and etymology:

• Monday: Named after the Moon.
• Tuesday: Named after Tiw, the Norse god of war, corresponding to Mars in Roman mythology.
• Wednesday: Named after Woden, the chief Norse god, corresponding to Mercury.
• Thursday: Named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder, corresponding to Jupiter.
• Friday: Named after Frigg, the Norse goddess of love, corresponding to Venus.
• Saturday: Named after Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture.
• Sunday: Named after the Sun.

Cultural Significance

The seven-day week is widely used in most cultures around the world. In many cultures, the week is divided into weekdays and weekends. The weekend typically includes Saturday and Sunday, which are days of rest and leisure in many countries.

Modern Usage

In the modern world, the seven-day week is used for scheduling and planning purposes. It is a fundamental unit of time in business, education, and personal life. The ISO week date system is an international standard for date and time-related data, which also uses the seven-day week.

See Also

• Calendar
• Day
• Month
• Year
• ISO week date
• Weekend