# About seven-day week **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 1, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048 "2012-01-01T16:22:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Theophane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@Theophane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theophane)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/21 "2012-01-02T09:47:37Z")
> [@dorsk188](#): > > It’s important to remember that every religious person alive has been born and raised in an environment where none of this was controversial or novel. They don’t have to convince themselves because they’ve never been confronted with the issue. As for the “first guy to call a monday ‘a monday’”, it’s a good question. It probably goes back to a decree by a leader based on the court astrologer’s reading of the stars. I’d be shocked if the 7 day week chain was unbroken between its origin and now through the various dark ages. We’ve all been born & raised with the Gregorian Calendar, regardless of our religion or lack thereof. It’s just one of the many, many ways Christianity has woven its way into Western culture over the centuries. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/22 "2012-01-02T09:47:49Z")
I’d say that the dark ages may have actually reinforced the 7-day week. After all, that’s when the Church was the strongest, and if it did nothing else, it always made sure that people came to pray on Sunday. ---
**Author:** ![Theophane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@Theophane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theophane)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/23 "2012-01-02T09:52:39Z")
Many people got out of going to church on Sunday by dying of the bubonic plague. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/24 "2012-01-02T09:57:59Z")
That’s true. Medieval people had a 100% mortality rate. ---
**Author:** ![Theophane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@Theophane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theophane)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/25 "2012-01-02T10:00:03Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > That’s true. Medieval people had a 100% mortality rate. So do modern people. We all die eventually, right? No one gets out alive. ---
**Author:** ![dorsk188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f05b48/32.png) [@dorsk188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorsk188)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/26 "2012-01-02T10:09:43Z")
> [@Theophane](#): > > We’ve all been born & raised with the Gregorian Calendar, regardless of our religion or lack thereof. It’s just one of the many, many ways Christianity has woven its way into Western culture over the centuries. My point is that if a religious person of Abrahamic faith wonders “why are there seven days and when did that start?”, the Bible gives them a quick and easy answer, and they can just accept it. Someone who doesn’t believe the Genesis account wouldn’t. I’m sure there are plenty of irreligious people who’ve never given the days of the week a second thought (and I didn’t mean to imply otherwise). ---
**Author:** ![Theophane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@Theophane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theophane)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/27 "2012-01-02T10:15:14Z")
It makes no difference whether or not you believe the Genesis account, really. It is of religious origin but it’s much too late to reject it for that reason. Could there be alternative to the Gregorian week? Like the metric week? ---
**Author:** ![guesswhoiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e274bd/32.png) [@guesswhoiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guesswhoiam)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/28 "2012-01-02T10:16:59Z")
> [@dorsk188](#): > > My point is that if a religious person of Abrahamic faith wonders “why are there seven days and when did that start?”, the Bible gives them a quick and easy answer, and they can just accept it. Do you mean that the bible says something about this? > [@Theophane](#): > > Why is that such an outrageous notion? I mean, if they are concerned that Samoa or some other pacific region shift their timezone, they must be more concerned whether everyone else in the world is following the right Sabbath or not. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/29 "2012-01-02T10:36:09Z")
I’m calling the Master out. He wrote: “The Sabbath (Saturday if you’re Jewish, Sunday if you’re Christian) was the only traditional day of leisure from the time of Creation (when, of course, God rested) until the mid-1930s.” IIRC a 3rd Abrahamic religion observes a Friday as Sabbath. BTW, is the folk etymology relating seven to sabbath surely wrong? > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I’m not sure if it’s quite what you are looking for, but there’s a thread [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=636561) about [Samoa skipping Friday this week](http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/12/29/samoa-will-skip-friday-this-week/). They lost December 30th of course, as well as a Friday. There is precedent for this. [[QUOTE=en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand\_Magellan](http://QUOTE=en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Magellan)] Upon returning [Magellan’s crew] found their date was a day behind, even though they had faithfully maintained the ship’s log. They lost one day because they traveled west during their circumnavigation of the globe, opposite to Earth’s daily rotation. This caused great excitement at the time and a special delegation was sent to the Pope to explain the oddity to him. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![dorsk188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f05b48/32.png) [@dorsk188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorsk188)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/30 "2012-01-02T10:42:04Z")
The Bible says 6 day creation week and a 7th day that’s holy. This pattern was established in the creation and definitely enforced by Jews after they received the law. It’s certainly enough to satisfy passing curiosity. > [@Theophane](#): > > It makes no difference whether or not you believe the Genesis account, really. It is of religious origin but it’s much too late to reject it for that reason. Could there be alternative to the Gregorian week? Like the metric week? I think you’re missing my point. A religious person would (most likely) accept the religious story of where the 7 day week comes from. A nonreligious person wouldn’t believe “there’s 7 days in a week because that’s how long God took to create the world” or “there’s 7 days in a week because God told the Jews to keep the 7th day holy”. Reread what I’ve written in this thread so far, because I think you think I’m saying something I’m not. On a separate note, I would love to adopt a different calendar. I’ve long supported a 10 day week and 3 week months with a 5 day half-week celebration period on the winter solstice to mark the beginning of the new year. 2 day weekends with a 1 day midweek break day. ---
**Author:** ![Theophane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@Theophane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theophane)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/31 "2012-01-02T12:53:42Z")
> [@guesswhoiam](#): > > Do you mean that the bible says something about this? > I mean, if they are concerned that Samoa or some other pacific region shift their timezone, they must be more concerned whether everyone else in the world is following the right Sabbath or not. It is not good to pay too much attention to the minutiae of religious law. This whole thing with the wandering Sabbath sounds ridiculous. Orthodox Jews have hundreds of mitzvots they have to deal with. Their lives must be dominated by these rules. I think the actual number is 613. Can you imagine? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/32 "2012-01-02T15:39:20Z")
> [@Theophane](#): > > It makes no difference whether or not you believe the Genesis account, really. It is of religious origin but it’s much too late to reject it for that reason. Could there be alternative to the Gregorian week? Like the metric week? The French Revolutionaries tried it - unfortunately, they lengthened the week, but not the weekend. Trading 6 work days followed by a day to attend church for 9 work days followed by a day to attend a “temple of reason” didn’t go over too well. ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/33 "2012-01-02T20:42:53Z")
> [@Theophane](#): > > It makes no difference whether or not you believe the Genesis account, really. It is of religious origin but it’s much too late to reject it for that reason. Could there be alternative to the Gregorian week? Like the metric week? You’ve got it backwards, the 7 day week was already established before it was worked into the Genesis account. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/34 "2012-01-02T23:20:03Z")
> [@dorsk188](#): > > Random note: Japan (and I assume China) uses a seven day week that seems to have a common pedigree with the western week. In the west we have Sun, Moon, Tyr/Mars, Wotan, Thor, Frey, Saturn is a mix-mash of different cultures’ gods and celestial bodies (admittedly there’s a lot of overlap there). The Japanese week also starts with Sun and Moon (then goes on to various classical elements). That they share these days and their place at the beginning of the week speaks to something very culturally stable going on here, I think. It does, as you say, share a pedigree with the western week. They are both thought to derive from the same Near-Eastern origin, with various routes of communication postulated for the diffusion to China and Japan. ---
**Author:** ![tadtooornamental](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@tadtooornamental](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tadtooornamental)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/35 "2012-01-02T23:23:56Z")
> [@kenetic](#): > > The 7 day week was around before christianity. So was the Old Testament. ---
**Author:** ![Theophane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@Theophane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theophane)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/36 "2012-01-02T23:33:41Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > The French Revolutionaries tried it - unfortunately, they lengthened the week, but not the weekend. Trading 6 work days followed by a day to attend church for 9 work days followed by a day to attend a “temple of reason” didn’t go over too well. What is a temple of reason? Is that a real thing? ---
**Author:** ![Theophane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@Theophane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theophane)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/37 "2012-01-02T23:34:53Z")
> [@kenetic](#): > > You’ve got it backwards, the 7 day week was already established before it was worked into the Genesis account. Makes no difference. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/38 "2012-01-02T23:52:57Z")
> [@Theophane](#): > > What is a temple of reason? Is that a real thing? Yes: > **[Temple of Reason](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Reason)** > > A Temple of Reason (French: Temple de la Raison) was, during the French Revolution, a state atheist temple for a new belief system created to replace Christianity: the Cult of Reason, which was based on the ideals of reason, virtue, and liberty. This "religion" was supposed to be universal and to spread the ideas of the revolution, summarized in its "Liberté, égalité, fraternité" motto, which was also inscribed on the Temples. > The symbols of Christianity were covered up, and the symbols of the C... ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/39 "2012-01-03T00:12:50Z")
> [@Theophane](#): > > Makes no difference. Really? Because it seems to contradict what you said. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048/40 "2012-01-03T00:24:10Z")
It seems to me there has been little discussion of why 7 day weeks if not from creation. If it existed before the creation story, where did it come from? Did the Chinese have it before 4000 BC? Where did they get it. How far back does rest on the seventh day go? I am sure the hunter/gatherer cultures didn’t have it. How organized does a society have to be to need weeks? Once agriculture begins, it is important to keep track of the solstice and equinox to know what to plant. I am not arguing that it came from the Bible, just getting back to the original question. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-seven-day-week/608048.md?page=3)