Weeks used to vary a lot

Press, 25 February 1986, Page 13

Weeks used to vary a lot

Weeks were not always seven days long. In olden days some were much shorter, some as long as 10 days. The need for a division of time, longer than a day but shorter than a month — often to note the division of time between market days — plus an early importance of the number seven, contributed to the week as we know it.

Years, months, and days are easier understood because they measure the time taken for movements of Earth and Moon. The year is the time taken by the Earth to make an orbit of the sun, the month close to the time for the Moon to

make an orbit of the Earth, and a day the time taken for the Earth to revolve once on its own axis.

The Babylonians, who lived 6000 years ago, regarded seven as an important number. Seven days was about the time the Moon took to go through its four phases. They also saw, without the use of telescopes so their count did not Include some planets and included some now not regarded as planets — seven “planets” in the sky. So they grouped their days into sevens, believing that each day was ruled by one of their seven planets.

The number seven’s frequent appearance in the Old Testament, prompted the Jews and other believers in the Old Testament to adopt a seven-day week. Romans had an eight-day week, Egyptians a 10-day week. West Africans a four-day week, and Assyrians 6-day week.

The seven-day week spread across Asia, Africa, and Europe. In the fourth century the Romans changed to a seven-day week. The names used for the days are derived from some Roman names and some Saxon. The Saxons changed some of the names used before the fall of the Roman Empire.

A rough translation of how the days of the week as we know them for their names is:

Sunday — the Sun’s Day.

Monday — the Moon’s Day.

Tuesday — Tiw’s Day. Tiw was the Saxon god of war, courage, and the sword.

Wednesday — Woden’s Day. Woden was the chief of the Anglo-Saxon gods. Thursday — Thor’s Day. Thor was the AngloSaxon god of thunder. Friday — Frigga’s Day. Frigga, the wife of Woden, chie(f of the An-glo-Saxon gods, was the goddess of married love. Saturday — Saturn’s Day.