ANGLO-SAXON TRADITIONS CULTURAL STUDIES 1 DAYS OF THE WEEK: In English, all the names for the days of the

ee! come from the A"#$o-Sa%o" t&ad't'o" (of Germanic inspiration), while the names of the months are derived from Latin (dating back to the Roman conq est)! THE (EGINNING OF A DAY: In some c lt res, the beginning of a new da" was considered to be at s nset! #he sacred $ewish "ear and the %hristian eve of feast&da"s were eq all" important! 'ld e(pressions related to ) a ee!* ()se+en&night*& archaic, no longer sed) and )t o ee!s* ()fort+night*) in the ,nglo& -a(on c lt re (ancient Britons) speak of the )night*! #he ancient Greek, the .ohammedans, the %hinese also start the da" at s nset! In other c lt res (-"rians, /ersians, .odern Greek) the da" begins at s nrise! ,ncient Eg"ptians considered that each da" began at noon (beca se the" were worshippers of the - n God Ra)! .odern astronomers kept this tradition! #he da" began at midnight for the Romans! In modern times, the English, 0rench, 1 tch, Germans, -paniards, /ort g ese and ,mericans also consider midnight as the beginning of the da"! SUNDAY 2 was considered the first da" of the week! In 'ld English it was called - nnerdaeg, and it was dedicated to the - n god! )ONDAY 2 the second da" of the week ()da" of the .oon* or )o"a"dae# in ,nglo&-a(on) .onda" was observed as a non&working da" b" vario s g ilds (shoemakers etc!)! St. Monday or St. Lundi is the facetio s (mocking) name given to it b" others TUESDAY 2 comes from the name of T'* (or #iw, or #"r) who, in -candinavian m"tholog", was the son of 'din and brother of #hor! In Roman m"tholog" he can be identified with .ars, the god of war (whereb" the name of this da" in 0rench is ) mardi*)! Et"mologists consider that #i can be eq ated with the Greek ma3or god 4e s (in Latin 5 1e s6 in -anskrit 5 devas) WEDNESDAY 2 the fo rth da" of the week was originall" ) Wode"+s Day* (or )'din+s 1a"*), called b" the 0rench )mercredi* beca se the" eq al it to the da" of god .erc r"! #he /ersians regard this as a ) red-letter day* (5 a lucky day, s all" a festival took place 2 %hristian priests adopted this writing for the calendar) beca se the .oon was created in the fo rth da" as written in the book of Genesis THURSDAY 2 was the da" of the god Tho& (called b" the 0rench )jeudi* after $ove 5 $ piter, who was also a god of the thunder, 3 st like #hor)! In the old times, #h rsda" was also called )#h nderda"*! FRIDAY 2 was the si(th da" of the week! In ancient Rome it was called d'es ,e"e&'s (the da" dedicated to 7en s) and this was the et"molog" of ) vendredi* in 0rench! #he nearest eq ivalent to 7en s among the 8orthern goddesses was F&'## (or 0re"3a)! #he form in 'ld English was )frige dag*! 0re"3a was the wife of 'din, goddess of love, marriage and of the dead and she alwa"s wore a necklace called Brisingamen! 9hen 'din left her she cried with golden tears! The Norsemen considered Friday as the luckiest day in the week and that is wh" it was the best da" for weddings and other celebrations! 9ith %hristian religion, things changed beca se 0rida" was the da" when %hrist was cr cified! 0or .ohammedans, 0rida" is the eq ivalent of -abbath (beca se the" sa" ,dam was created on a 0rida" and, also on a 0rida", ,dam and Eve ate the forbidden apple6 the" also died on a 0rida")! :

; ddhists and ;rahmins consider it nl ck"! In England, there is a sa"ing according to which ) Friday moon !rings foul weather*, b t it is not nl ck" to be born on a 0rida", beca se )Friday"s child is loving and giving*! It is considered nl ck" for ships to p t to sea on a 0rida" (however, this is what %ol mb s did in :<=> ? and he discovered ,merica@) In mediaeval times, condemned criminals were e(ec ted on 0rida"s so it was also called )#anging day*! F&'day 1-th 2 is partic larl" nl ck"! 'riginall", it is said to come from an old -candinavian tradition 2 at a banq et in 9alhalla, Loki intr ded, he was the :A th g est and then ;alder (son of 'din, god of Light) was killed! .a&as!e/'-de!at&'a-0ho1'a 5 the irrational fear of 0rida" the :Ath (from Greek) SATURDAY 2 was the seventh da" of the week! In 'ld ,nglo&-a(on it was called Saete&dae#, adapted from the Latin Sat*&"' d'es (the da" dedicated to the worship of -at rn)! #here was also a festival (-at rnalia) that lasted for B da"s, starting with the :=th of 1ecember 2 a time of freedom from an" restraint, no b siness took place, law co rts were s spended, schools were closed, no criminals were p nished! #he character of the )fool* C)b ffoon* seems to have inspired the Romans+ ill&treatment ()$assions*) of $es s on %r cifi(ion da"! S.ECIFIC EX.RESSIONS 2 IDIO)S: A ee! of S*"days 2 meaning a long time, an indefinite period Wee!- o&! 2 this goes back to the fe dalist period, when a lord+s land was worked b" tenants ( s all" A da"s a week comp lsor" work) (serfdom)! He has had h's day 2 meaning that his "o th da"s are over Today a 3a"4 to3o&&o a 3o*se 2 meaning that one da" "o can have it all, then the ne(t da" "o can lose all "o have To $ose the day 2 to lose a battle, to be defeated (from the mediaeval times, b t toda" it is still sed metaphoricall") To '" 5 #a'" the day 2 it is its opposite, meaning that "o have been s ccessf l Day$'#ht Sa/'"# 2 the idea of changing the official time d ring s mmer seems to have been p t forward b" ;en3amin 0ranklin after the ,merican -tates won their independence! ; t the idea was finall" adopted onl" in :=:D in German", closel" followed b" England beca se of wartime restrictions! In ;ritain it became permanent b" an ,ct of :=>E when it received the name of - mmer #ime! It began the Ard -at rda" in ,pril ( nless that was the Easter 1a") and ended on the da" following the first -at rda" in 'ctober! -ince :=D: it has been e(tended b" D weeks (beginning in .arch and ending in 'ctober)! To $et day$'#ht '"to so3eo"e 2 to pierce a person with a sword or b llet Days0&'"# (poetical) 2 the dawn De d'e '" d'e3 2 from da" to da" contin o sl", ntil the b siness is completed The-s '"#-'t-t'$$-)o"day-1as!et 2 the nickname for things that can be postponed ntil .onda" Whe" th&ee Th*&sdays 6o3e to#ethe& 2 never Not '" a )o"th of S*"days 2 never A S*"day Sa'"t 2 someone who strictl" observes all religio s ordinances onl" on - nda"s )ONTHS OF THE YEAR: 7ANUARY 2 it was the month dedicated b" Romans to the god $an s (the god who kept the gate of Feaven 2 the g ardian of gates and doors) who presided the entrance into the "ear and, having >

two faces, co ld look both forward and backward in time! #he doors of temples dedicated to $an s were open d ring war and closed in times of peace! #he 1 tch called this month )La wmaand* (5frost"&month)! #he -a(ons called it W*$f-3o"ath, beca se wolves were ver" dangero s at that time of the "ear d e to the fact that food was generall" ver" scarce! ,fter the introd ction of %hristianit", this month was given the name of Se aeftera geola ()#he after&" le*, meaning after %hristmas) or Forma monath (5the first month)! ,fter the 0rench Revol tions, the 0rench called this first month 8ivGse (5 the snow&month) and it started on >:C>>C>A 1ecember, lasting ntil >HC>:C>> $an ar"! IYULE (in 'ld English )gJol*) came from the Icelandish )3Kl* which was the name for a heathen festival at the winter solstice!L FE(RUARY 2 was the month of p rification for the ancient Romans ( Fe!ruo 5 I p rif" b" sacrifice 5 catharsis)! Fence, the >nd of 0eb! is the da" of / rification of the ;lessed 7irgin! #he ,nglo&-a(ons called this month )-pro t&kale* from the spro ting of kale (5cabbage)! #he 0rench revol tionaries called it )/l viGse* (rain" month)! In -cotland, tradition has it that Fe!ruary %!orrowed& ' days from (anuary (:>&:A&:<)! If these are storm", the rest of the "ear will have good weather6 if the" are fine, the rest will be marked b" bad weather! )ARCH 2 the name comes from the Roman god of war .ars! #he 'ld 1 tch called it )Lentmaand* (and this is where the term L)NT comes from, since .arch is alwa"s in Lent)! #he -a(ons called it H&eth-3o"ath 5 H$yd-3o"ath (5the ro gh month, beca se there were alwa"s cold winds in this month)! #he 0rench Rep blicans called it *ent+se (5wind") and it lasted between >H 0ebr ar" 2 >H .arch! nglo-Sa,on tradition has it that the last ' days in March were %!orrowed days& -from the month of .ril)! #here is even a proverb that sa"s ).arch borrows A da"s of ,pril, and the" are ill@* (5cold, rain", wind")! A.RIL 2 was the )opening month* (from Latin )aprire*), beca se trees nfold, all nat re opens with new life! #he 0rench Revol tionaries called it ) /erminal* (time of b dding) 2 >: .arch 2 := ,pril! April fool ($oisson d"avril in 0rench6 /owk in -cots, meaning c ckoo)! >E .arch sed to be the 8ew Mear+s 1a", festivities s all" lasted for N da"s so ,pril : st was the c lminating point in the celebrations, as well as their ending point! #he term possibl" comes from Roman tradition (%erealia, a celebration held at the beginning of ,pril! /roserpina was taken b" god /l to into the nderworld and her mother %eres, goddess of cereals, heard her screams and tried to find her, b t her search was )a fool+s errand* 2 in vain)! )AY 2 #he ,nglo&-a(ons called this month Th&'3'$6e (beca se cows co ld be milked three times a da")! #he modern name seems to come from Latin ( Maia being the goddess of growth and increase 2 from multus-maior-ma,imus)! In 1 tch it was called Bloumaand (the month of blossoms)! #he 0rench Revol tionaries called it 0lorOal (the time of flowers) 2 >H ,pril 2 >H .a"! .a"da" 2 the first of .a" 2 a time for heathen celebrations 2 electing a .a" P een, dancing aro nd a .a"pole, lighting bonfires (nat re worship)! 7er" tall, gl" women are sometimes called )ma"poles*! A

7UNE 2 is the si(th month of the "ear! It took its name from the Roman ) (unius* the term describing "o ng people! It co ld also come from 7*"o, q een of heaven, sister and wife of $ piter! #he 'ld 1 tch called it 0omer-maand (5s mmer&month)! #he ,nglo&-a(ons called it Se&e3o"ath (5dr"&month) and L'da ae&&a (53o"&time)! #he 0rench Revol tionaries called it $rairial (prairie 5 plain, meadow) 2 >H .a" 2 :N $ ne! .arriages in $ ne are said to be ver" l ck" (old Roman s perstition related to the $ ne calends, as $ no was the protector of women from birth to death)! 7ULY 2 is the Bth month! It was named )1ulius* b" .arc ,nthon" in hono r of $ li s %aesar! It was formerl" called 2uintilis (the Eth)! Qntil the :Nth cent r" it was prono nced IdRSliL! #he 'ld 1 tch called it #ooy-maand (5ha"&month)! #he 'ld -a(ons called it )aedd-)o"ath (the cattle were bro ght into the meadows to feed) or L'da aefte/& (the second mild or genial month)! #he 0rench Revol tionaries called it Messidor (harvest month) 2 $ ne := 2 $ l" :N! AUGUST 2 Initiall" called Se,tilis (the Dth month from .arch when the "ear began) it was renamed b" 'ctavi s , g st s in hono r of himself (he lived between DA ;% 2 :< ,1 and renamed this month in N ,1) when he became the first Roman emperor! #his was )his l ck" month*! Its old 1 tch name was 3ostmaand (5 harvest month)! #he old -a(ons called it Weod3o"ath ()weed&month* b t weed referred to vegetation in general)! #he 0rench called it Thermidor (5hot month) 2 := $ l" 2 :B , g st! SE.TE)(ER 2 was the Bth month of the Roman "ear that started in .arch! #he 'ld 1 tch called it Ferst&maand (meaning the )a t mn month) while the old -a(ons called it Ge&st3o"ath (barle" month) or Haefest-3o"ath! 9hen %hristianit" became official religion on the main island, the" changed the name into Falig&monath (5Fol" month, beca se it incl ded the 8ativit" of the 7irgin .ar" on the Nth, the Fol" %ross da" on the :<th and -t! .ichael+s da" on the >=th)! #he 0rench rep blicans called it 0r ctidor (the fr it&month) 2 :N , g st 2 :D -eptember! OCTO(ER 2 was the Nth month of the ancient Roman calendar! #he 'ld 1 tch called it 9"nmaand and in 'ld English the eq ivalent was W'"3o"ath (wine&month, or the time of the vintage)! It also bore the name of W'"te&-fy$$eth (winter f ll moon)! #he 0rench revol tionaries called it 7endOmiaire (also )time of vintage) 2 >> -eptember 2 >: 'ctober! NO,E)(ER 2 was the =th month in the Roman calendar! #he 'ld 1 tch name was -laght& maand (5sla ghter&month) beca se cattle were slain and salted down for winter time! #he 'ld -a(on name was W'"d-3o"ath (wind&month) and it was the time when fishermen bro ght their boats ashore ntil the ne(t spring! #he -a(ons also called it ($ot-3o"ath (5blood month), an eq ivalent of the 1itch name! #he 0rench rep blicans called it ;r maire (fog&month) 2 >A 'ctober 2 >: 8ovember! DECE)(ER 2 was the :Hth month in the initial Roman calendar! It was the time of the -at rnalia! ;ibliograph": Et"mological dictionaries The 4ordsworth 5ictionary of $hrase and Fa!le, :==< edition, 9ordsworth Reference books <