# Why does the week begin on Moonday and end on Sunday? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 1, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066 "2011-08-01T16:32:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![petew83](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@petew83](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/petew83)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/1 "2011-08-01T16:32:25Z")
The set of weekdays are led off by Monday, which I believe derives from Moon-day. The weekend ends with Sunday, which is etymologically more obvious. This backwards sequence of the week-cycle seems a bit convoluted to me. How did it get to be this way? ---
**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:** [August 1, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/2 "2011-08-01T16:39:32Z")
There are calendars that run Monday to Sunday, and I’ve Pitted them at least twice before. I like my weeks Sunday-Saturday. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/3 "2011-08-01T16:41:11Z")
Working in media, all broadcast calendars run M-Sun. Now it throws me way off when I see a calendar w/ Sunday at the front of the week. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/4 "2011-08-01T16:48:23Z")
The concept of weekday vs. weekend is a fairly modern invention. Before the industrial age, farmers and other workers would laugh at the concept of a five-day work week. Even after industrialisation, it was common for laborers to work 6 days a week, with Sunday off to go to church. When labor unions and other influences fought for the 40 hour/5 day week, it made sense to pick Saturday and Sunday as the days off, in order to accomodate both Christians and Jews in their worship. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/5 "2011-08-01T16:51:02Z")
**petew83** , do you mean, “If Sunday is to observe the 7th day of creation, on which God rested, why would we call it ‘Sunday’ when He created light on the first day?” Maybe it has something to do with Norse mythology since [that’s where the other day names came from](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Week-day_names#Germanic_languages). ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/6 "2011-08-01T16:59:39Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > There are calendars that run Monday to Sunday, and \*\*I’ve Pitted them at least twice \*\*before. I like my weeks Sunday-Saturday. Must have been a slow 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:** [August 1, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/7 "2011-08-01T17:04:15Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Must have been a slow week. It used to be my annual Pit thread. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/8 "2011-08-01T17:06:42Z")
> [@petew83](#): > > The set of weekdays are led off by Monday, which I believe derives from Moon-day. The weekend ends with Sunday, which is etymologically more obvious. This backwards sequence of the week-cycle seems a bit convoluted to me. How did it get to be this way? What’s backwards? Why should the sun come before the moon? 😕 ETA: I mean, independent of what everyone else has said, of course. I \*was \*taught growing up that the week started on Sunday and ended on Saturday, and that’s how the vast majority of calendars are oriented. You really have to work to find a Monday to Sunday calendar. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/9 "2011-08-01T17:14:25Z")
That’s what I was going to ask. Why is this ‘etymologically backwards’? ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/10 "2011-08-01T17:24:04Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > **petew83** , do you mean, “If Sunday is to observe the 7th day of creation, on which God rested, why would we call it ‘Sunday’ when He created light on the first day?” Actually, Saturday (the Jewish Sabbath) was the day to observe the 7th day of creation, when God rested. Sunday is to observe the Resurrection. So Sunday really would be the first day, when He created light. ---
**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:** [August 1, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/11 "2011-08-01T17:24:37Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > You really have to work to find a Monday to Sunday calendar. On the contrary, I really have to work to find a calendar that’s _not_ Monday-Sunday, and that’s what ticks me off. I used to send my few remaining relatives nice Thailand-themed calendars, but they’re pretty much all Mon-Sun now. It’s only the dull, generic ones that seem to be Sun-Sat. They must think tourists really want that. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/12 "2011-08-01T17:39:09Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > **petew83** , do you mean, “If Sunday is to observe the 7th day of creation, on which God rested, why would we call it ‘Sunday’ when He created light on the first day?” Maybe it has something to do with Norse mythology since [that’s where the other day names came from](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Week-day_names#Germanic_languages). Regardless, Saturday is the observation of the 7th day of creation. All Jews still hold to this. Christians started celebrating on Sunday for a number of reasons (and sometimes call it the “Sabbath”). Part of it was to commemorate the resurrection, and part of it was influence from the Roman (pagan) tradition of Sunday being the day of rest. There are a handful of Christian sects that keep Saturday, notably Seventh-Day Adventists. It seems to me that Saturday evening worship is not all that rare in some modern churches. This appears to be as much a matter of convenience as it is for theological reasons. By Jewish reckoning it’d be after the Sabbath anyway if the sun was down. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/13 "2011-08-01T17:47:54Z")
> [@panamajack](#): > > It seems to me that Saturday evening worship is not all that rare in some modern churches. This appears to be as much a matter of convenience as it is for theological reasons. By Jewish reckoning it’d be after the Sabbath anyway if the sun was down. As I recall from my grade school Catholic education, some sort of magical time barrier happens late in the afternoon on Saturdays that makes going to Mass then count the same in the Great Ledger Book of Catholic God as going to Mass on Sundays. Once my church put in ceiling fans mid decade during the 80’s my family became a all-year Saturday 5pm Mass family instead of a winter Saturday 5pm Mass/summer Sunday 10am Mass family. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/14 "2011-08-01T17:48:04Z")
Perhaps you’re not aware, OP, but the Moon comes up at all times of the day throughout the month. There’s not a single hour on the clock in which the moon _doesn’t_ rise on at least one day of the month. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/15 "2011-08-01T18:01:28Z")
> [@petew83](#): > > The set of weekdays are led off by Monday, which I believe derives from Moon-day. The weekend ends with Sunday, which is etymologically more obvious. This backwards sequence of the week-cycle seems a bit convoluted to me. How did it get to be this way? A little more detail as to why you feel this is a “backwards sequence” may help us give more accurate answers. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/16 "2011-08-01T18:07:56Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > As I recall from my grade school Catholic education, some sort of magical time barrier happens late in the afternoon on Saturdays that makes going to Mass then count the same in the Great Ledger Book of Catholic God as going to Mass on Sundays. Once my church put in ceiling fans mid decade during the 80’s my family became a all-year Saturday 5pm Mass family instead of a winter Saturday 5pm Mass/summer Sunday 10am Mass family. The Jewish people start the day at sundown. I thought the RC Sat eve Mass used this as their reasoning to have a it then. It was suppose to be after sundown, though with just a smidgen of grace, Sat 5pm is good 'nuff year round. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Bosstrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstrain)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/17 "2011-08-01T18:12:41Z")
> [@petew83](#): > > Why does the week begin on Moonday and end on Sunday? The answer is long and complicated and actually starts with a man named Constantine. He wanted to make sure that the Sabbath was abolished: “Let no one rest on that day, rather they must work on the Sabbath, any found doing so, let them be an enemy to you, and be put to death.” -Constantine In that statement he even acknowledged the Sabbath, which is the really bizarre part :smack: . He instead told the people to rest on Sun-day (to honor his deity…the sun :eek: ). Today it’s accepted that both days are a day off, because there was still enough presence from the Yahudim (A.K.A Jews, but that’s a slanderous term given by the Romans), but people still break the Sabbath by working, buying and selling, and traveling, wether they believe it to be the 7th or 1st day of the week. If you really want to know more, check this [Youtube video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7YDMYZ9ssA) out, It’s a little long ('bout an hour or so) and takes a second to get started, but if you want the **Straight Dope** on this, I highly recommend at least skimming through it and seeing for yourself what has really taken place. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/18 "2011-08-01T18:13:20Z")
Just to be clear, the days of the week correspond to the seven classical planets. Sunday : The Sun Monday : The Moon Tuesday : Mars (Tiw, a god of war and law) Wednesday : Mercury (Wotan in his aspect as a wanderer) Thursday : Jupiter (Thor as the lightning thrower) Friday : Venus Saturday :Saturn Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday hide the relationship in English by taking the names from the Germanic pantheon who shared some characteristics with the Greco-Roman gods we kept for astronomical objects. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/19 "2011-08-01T20:03:16Z")
> [@Bosstrain](#): > > Jews, but that’s a slanderous term given by the Romans The Romans spoke English? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066/20 "2011-08-01T20:39:49Z")
> [@Bosstrain](#): > > “Let no one rest on that day, rather they must work on the Sabbath, any found doing so, let them be an enemy to you, and be put to death.” -Constantine What if you were just taking a siesta under a shade tree after busting your ass all Sabbath morn? Still fed to the lions? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-week-begin-on-moonday-and-end-on-sunday/591066.md?page=2)