# Is Sunday really the first day of the week? Really? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 19, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450 "2012-05-19T18:51:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/1 "2012-05-19T18:51:34Z")
People often say it, but I just don’t believe it. It just sounds like something people say to seem smart (“well actually…”) whenever you mention (or imply) that the week begins on a Monday. I’m talking about Western civilization here, by the way. First of all, in practice, Monday is _definitely_ the first day of the week. Secondly, Sunday is one of two days that make up what we call “the weekend”. Lastly, Sunday surely equals the “seventh day” on which God rested, if you are to believe the Bible, which was presumably a big influence on the structure of our weeks. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/2 "2012-05-19T18:59:37Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > Lastly, Sunday surely equals the “seventh day” on which God rested, if you are to believe the Bible, which was presumably a big influence on the structure of our weeks. The “seventh day” from the Bible is what we know as Saturday. That’s probably the beginning and end of this question, since the “first day” terminology comes from there as well. Christians go to church on Sunday to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus. Yes, it gets called the ‘Sabbath’, and that might actually influence the idea of Monday as the first day. Jews still celebrate the Sabbath as a day of rest on Saturday. From **Luke 24** , recounting the resurrection: > [@](#): > > Now upon the first [day] of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain [others] with them. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/3 "2012-05-19T19:00:50Z")
The payweek at my work is Sunday to Saturday. Most calendars in the US show Sunday at the far left. When they don’t, it’s very confusing. There really isn’t an official answer to what day the week starts on. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/4 "2012-05-19T19:01:19Z")
Last I checked, the Hebrew calendar says you are wrong. The seventh day is essentially the Gregorian Saturday, since Hebrew days run from night to night. In Israel, your workweek begins on Sunday. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/5 "2012-05-19T19:05:25Z")
Let me preface this by saying I also consider Monday to be the first day of the week. Having said that: > [@Bozuit](#): > > Secondly, Sunday is one of two days that make up what we call “the weekend”. Do you put both of your bookends on the same side? ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/6 "2012-05-19T19:08:15Z")
I’ve lived with both systems, and in my opinion, it really doesn’t matter whether you say the first day of the week is Sunday, Monday, or Thursday. What matters is that everyone agrees. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/7 "2012-05-19T19:15:35Z")
Moved from GQ to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/8 "2012-05-19T19:18:39Z")
Biblically yes, as evidenced above. Practically, a society can just pick a day randomly–I hear that in European countries, calendars start on Monday. Scientifically, some cosmologist might be able to give the day (immediately after) the big bang happened, pretending the Earth and Sun already existed, as they do for years. If calculations can be that precise. (Dating from the formation of Earth and Sun wold also work, but it would require variable length years and days.) ---
**Author:** ![DearestDane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@DearestDane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DearestDane)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/9 "2012-05-19T19:37:54Z")
I suppose, different countries have different traditions here. Some international web communities which provide you with a calendar for your profile page, give you the choice between Monday and Sunday as the first day of the week. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/10 "2012-05-19T19:57:38Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I hear that in European countries, calendars start on Monday. This is true for the majority of calendars I’ve seen. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > Let me preface this by saying I also consider Monday to be the first day of the week. Having said that: > Do you put both of your bookends on the same side? Fair point, but “end” when speaking in terms of time generally does mean the last part. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/11 "2012-05-19T19:59:50Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > Lastly, Sunday surely equals the “seventh day” on which God rested, if you are to believe the Bible, which was presumably a big influence on the structure of our weeks. Others have already pointed out that you’re wrong about this one, but they have neglected to link to the Straight Dope on the subject: [Why do Christians worship on Sunday when the Bible says the Sabbath is on Saturday?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1015/why-do-christians-worship-on-sunday-when-the-bible-says-the-sabbath-is-on-saturday) ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/12 "2012-05-19T20:58:18Z")
I’ve never thought of Sunday as the first day of the week. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/13 "2012-05-19T21:31:27Z")
Ziggy has never lied to me ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/14 "2012-05-19T22:55:34Z")
Actually Thursday is the first day of the week. And the universe. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/15 "2012-05-20T01:03:03Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > People often say it, but I just don’t believe it. It just sounds like something people say to seem smart (“well actually…”) whenever you mention (or imply) that the week begins on a Monday. I’m talking about Western civilization here, by the way. > > First of all, in practice, Monday is _definitely_ the first day of the week. > > Secondly, Sunday is one of two days that make up what we call “the weekend”. > > Lastly, Sunday surely equals the “seventh day” on which God rested, if you are to believe the Bible, which was presumably a big influence on the structure of our weeks. You sound like those evil calendars that mistakenly place Monday as the first day of the week and Sunday last. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/16 "2012-05-20T02:01:53Z")
Since the day is the only unit of time that has any real significance in terms of its duration, even though the day itself is not quite as regular as nit-pickers would like, the arbitrariness of the week can be traced to a more-or-less correspondence with the phases of the moon, and the month itself to a rough approximation of the number of days/nights between successive phases. So whenever you choose to start counting off seven successive days and calling that group a week, you have no natural constraints on what that group should mean. Convention and habit are all you can appeal to for “what’s right” in that exercise, and one’s as good as another as long as you don’t disagree with others who think of it one way and you want it to be another. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/17 "2012-05-20T02:19:31Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Since the day is the only unit of time that has any real significance in terms of its duration, even though the day itself is not quite as regular as nit-pickers would like, the arbitrariness of the week can be traced to a more-or-less correspondence with the phases of the moon, and the month itself to a rough approximation of the number of days/nights between successive phases. > > So whenever you choose to start counting off seven successive days and calling that group a week, you have no natural constraints on what that group should mean. Convention and habit are all you can appeal to for “what’s right” in that exercise, and one’s as good as another as long as you don’t disagree with others who think of it one way and you want it to be another. Only bad people consider Monday the first day. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/18 "2012-05-20T02:29:10Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Only bad people consider Monday the first day. They should be stoned! ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/19 "2012-05-20T03:59:50Z")
> [@Farmer\_Jane](#): > > Last I checked, the Hebrew calendar says you are wrong. The seventh day is essentially the Gregorian Saturday, since Hebrew days run from night to night. In Israel, your workweek begins on Sunday. More specifically, I believe, the Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday evening at sunset. So, when it’s after dark on Friday evening on the Gregorian calendar, the seventh Jewish day has already begun. The seventh day in the Gregorian calendar won’t start until midnight. This means that the Sabbath effectively ends at sunset on Gregorian Saturday, so (Gregorian) Saturday Evenings are part of the regular Jewish week. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450/20 "2012-05-20T07:46:40Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > They should be stoned! I think they usually are. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sunday-really-the-first-day-of-the-week-really/622450.md?page=2)