The five weekdays from Monday to Friday end in "-es", short for "dies" meaning "day" in Latin, and are named after planetary gods: Luna (Moon), Marte (Mars), Mercurio (Mercury), Júpiter (Jupiter), and Venus.
In Norse mythology, a distinction is made between two different meanings of the name 'Maní', meaning moon. One is the cosmic phenomenon 'the moon', and in the other sense it referes to a mythical person. Monday was the day of the moon, and is named after the mythical person 'Maní'.
Monday was named for the Roman Moon goddess Luna, also known as Mona in Anglo-Saxon lore. Monandæg translates to "Moon's day." Tuesday was Mars' day in Rome. Tiw is the Anglo-Saxon equivalent of Mars.
Wednesday is named for the god Woden, who is paralleled with the Roman god Mercury, probably because both gods shared attributes of eloquence, the ability to travel, and the guardianship of the dead. Thursday is Thunor's day, or, to give the word its Old English form, Thunresdæg “the day of Thunder”.
Utilizing Hellenistic astrology, they were named in the order from slowest to fastest moving as they appeared in the night sky: Roman (Greek) Sunday, Sun (Helios); Monday, Moon (Selene); Tuesday, Mars (Ares); Wednesday, Mercury (Hermes); Thursday, Jupiter (Zeus); Friday, Venus (Aphrodite); and Saturday, Saturn (Cronos) ...
Etymology. The name Friday comes from the Old English frīġedæġ, meaning the "day of Frig", a result of an old convention associating the Nordic goddess Frigg with the Roman goddess Venus, with whom the day is associated in many cultures.
The name Tuesday derives from the Old English Tiwesdæg and literally means "Tiw's Day". Tiw is the Old English form of the Proto-Germanic god *Tîwaz, or Týr in Old Norse.
Thor was the god of thunder, weather, and crops. In the early Norse language, the fifth day of the week was known as thōrsdagr, literally "day of Thor," in his honor. The Norse name came into Old English as thursdæg, which in time became the Modern English Thursday.
Saturday is the day of the week between Friday and Sunday. No later than the 2nd century, the Romans named Saturday diēs Sāturnī ("Saturn's Day") for the god Saturn. His planet, Saturn, controlled the first hour of that day, according to Vettius Valens.
The days of the week in ancient Rome were all named after celestial bodies (which were also deities): Sunday = dies Solis (day of the Sun) Monday = dies Lunae (day of the Moon) Tuesday = dies Martis (day of Mars)
Friday is named after the Norse goddess Freya (or Frigg), whom the Romans associated with Venus and Isis. Therefore, if you add another layer of conflation and syncretism, the Greek deity associated with Friday is Aphrodite.
Monday is the day of Lord Shiva. We fondly call him 'Devadhi Dev' or the God of the Gods in Hinduism. Shiva is the symbol of great strength and spiritual power and yet he gives all his devotees a peaceful calmness.
Easy to remember - Monday is the Moon Day. The word moon is associated with the Norse god Mona (Máni). He was pulling the moon accross the sky, trying to escape and save it from a mythological wolf.
In English, the name is derived from Old English Wōdnesdæg and Middle English Wednesdei, 'day of Woden', reflecting the religion practised by the Anglo-Saxons, the English equivalent to the Norse god Odin.
The name for Sunday stems from the Middle English word sunnenday, which itself comes from the Old English word sunnandæg. The English derivations stem from the Latin diēs sōlis (“sun's day”). To know why this particular day is devoted to the sun, you have to look to Babylonian times.
It was apparently believed that there were seven key celestial bodies, and so the names of these seven celestial bodies were used to name the seven days of the week. Sunday, the first day of the week, was named after the sun.
Mardi Gras, festive day celebrated in France on Shrove Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday), which marks the close of the pre-Lenten season. The French name Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday, from the custom of using all the fats in the home before Lent in preparation for fasting and abstinence. See Carnival.
The Romans named it after Saturn, and for Saturn it stayed. The consistency in naming reflects the lasting Roman influence on English from the period when the Romans controlled the British Isles from 55 BCE to 410 CE. It's the perfect day to learn more about the word Saturday.
Good Friday is a Christian holy day observing the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Black Friday, Holy Friday, Great Friday, Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord, Great and Holy Friday (also Holy and Great Friday).
Although Friday is not a sabbath in Islam it is recognized as a superior and holy day. According to the Islamic scholar Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya there are 32 reasons that Friday is special. Some of the reasons include a belief that Friday was the day when Adam was created, entered into, and expelled from Jannah.
