Etymology of the days of the week The names of the seven days of the week originated in Babylon, referring to the  Sun, the Moon and the Gods of five planets . In the very ancient cultures the days of the week were five or ten , in fact the subdivision of the week in seven days was adapted by the Greeks and Romans and, starting from the IV century, even by the Germanic peoples. Most of the languages ​​of Latin origin have taken the names of the days through Greek  and  Latin language .

Day of the Moon Lunedì Monday Dies lunae “Lunedì” is the first day of the week and it derives from the Latin ”Dies Lunae ” which means Day of the Moon. Montag Monday derives from the German “ Montag” which means Day of the Moon too.

Day of Mars Martedì Tuesday Dienstag Tuesday derives from the German“Diestang”, which means Day of Mars too. Martedì Dies Martis “Martedì” is the second day of the week and it derives from Latin ”Dies Martis”,which means Day of Mars. Day of Mars

Day of Mercury Mercoledì Dies Mercurii Wednesday Mittwoch “Mercoledì” is the third day of the week and it derives from the latin “dies Mercurii”which means Day of Mercury. Wednesday Mittwoch Wednesday is derived from Wodan,  a pagan god that the early church  tried to eliminate. Day of Mercury

Day of Jupiter Giovedì Dies Iovis Thursday Donnerstag “Giovedì” is the fourth day of the week and it derives from the latin”Dies Iovis”, which means Day of Jupiter. Thursday Donnerstag Thursday derives from the name of the god of thunders Thor. Day of Jupiter

Day of Venus Friday Venerdì Freitag Dies Veneris Friday derives from the name of the German goddess Frija ,wife of Wodan. Venerdì Dies Veneris “ Venerdì” is the fifth day of the week and it derives from the Latin”Dies Veneris” which means Day of Venus. Day of Venus

Day of Saturn Sabato Saturday Dies Saturni Samstag “ Sabato” is the sixth day of the week and it derives from the word”sabbat” which means day off. Saturday Samstag Samstag derives from the Old High German “sambaztac” deriving from the Jewish feast of “shabbath”. Day of Saturn

Day of the Sun Domenica Sunday Dies Solis Sonntag “Domenica” is the seventh day of the week.It means”Day of God” from Latin Dominus, that is Lord. Sunday Sonntag The meaning "day of God" has gradually replaced the  meaning  "Day of the Sun“. Day of the Sun

….. Enjoy your week II A Liceo Scientifico B. Chierchia A. Saggese D. Storzillo