Friday (pronunciation IPA: /ˈfraɪdeɪ, ˈfraɪdi/) is the day of the week falling between Thursday and Saturday. A week (also called sennight or sevennight) is a unit of Time longer than a Day and shorter than a Month. Thursday is the fourth day of the week in most western countries and the fourth day of the week in the Judeo-Christian Calendar, falling between Wednesday Saturday is the day of the week between Friday and Sunday. It is either the sixth or seventh Day of the week as discussed below. It is the sixth day in countries that adopt a Sunday-first convention. In ISO 8601, in work-based customs, and in countries adopting Monday-first conventions, it is the fifth day of the week. ISO 8601 is an International standard for date and Time representations issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO (See Days of the week for more on the different conventions. The names of the days of the week in various world languages can be classified as either numerical or planetary; however in either case the names of one or more days )

In most countries with a five-day work week, Friday is the last workday before the weekend and is, therefore, viewed as a cause for celebration or relief. In some offices, employees are allowed to wear less formal attire on Fridays, known as Casual Friday or Dress-Down Friday. Casual Friday (also known as Dress-down Friday, Bis-Cas-Fri, or simply Casual day) is an American and Canadian custom which has In Saudi Arabia, however, Friday is the last day of the weekend and Saturday is the first workday. Moreover, in Israel, Friday is the first day of the weekend, and Sunday is the first workday.

Etymology

Frigg spinning the clouds, by J C Dollman

The name Friday comes from the Old English frigedæg, meaning the day of Frige the Anglo-Saxon form of Frigg, a West Germanic translation of Latin dies Veneris, "day (of the planet) Venus. Frīge ( Anglo-Saxon) Friia ( German) or Frea ( Langobard) was a love goddess in Germanic paganism, and the wife of Frigg (or Frigga) is a major goddess in Norse paganism, a subset of Germanic paganism. The West Germanic languages constitute the largest of the three traditional branches of the Germanic family of Languages and include languages such as English " However, in most Germanic languages the day is named after Freyja—such as Frīatag in Old High German, Freitag in Modern German, Freyjudagr in Old Norse,Föstudagur in Icelandic, Vrijdag in Dutch, Fredag in Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish—but Freyja and Frigg are frequently identified with each other. The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European (IE Language family. Freyja (sometimes anglicized as Freya) is a major goddess in Norse Paganism, a subset of Germanic Paganism. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age Icelandic ( is a North Germanic language, the language of Iceland. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the Norwegian ( norsk) is a North Germanic Language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language Danish ( d̥ænsɡ̊ is one of the North Germanic languages (also called Scandinavian languages a sub-group of the Germanic branch of the Frigg (or Frigga) is a major goddess in Norse paganism, a subset of Germanic paganism.

The word for Friday in most Romance languages is derived from Latin dies Veneris, "day (of the planet) Venus" (a translation of Greek Aphrodites hemera) such as vendredi in French, venerdì in Italian, viernes in Spanish, and vineri in Romanian. The Romance languages (sometimes referred to as Romanic languages, or Neolatin languages) are a branch of the Indo-European language family comprising all French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Romanian or Daco-Romanian ( dated: Rumanian or Roumanian; self designation limba română, ˈlimba roˈmɨnə is a Romance In most of the Indian languages, Friday is Shukravar (or a derived variation of Sukravar), named for Shukra, the Sanskrit name of the planet Venus. Shukra (शुक्र the Sanskrit for "clear pure" or "brightness clearness" is the name the son of Bhrgu and Urjaswathi The VENUS ( V ictoria E xperimental N etwork U nder the S ea project is a cabled sea floor observatory operated by the University Russian uses an ordinal number for this day of the week-- piatnítsa, meaning "fifth. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages In Set theory, an ordinal number, or just ordinal, is the Order type of a Well-ordered set. " Similarly, the Portuguese is sexta-feira, the sixth day. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal.

Astrology

In astrology Friday is connected with the planet Venus. Astrology (from Greek grc ἄστρον astron, "constellation star" and grc -λογία -logia) is a group of Systems The VENUS ( V ictoria E xperimental N etwork U nder the S ea project is a cabled sea floor observatory operated by the University This associates Friday with love, peace, and relaxation, as well as with emotional intensity and quashed dreams. It is also connected with the Astrological signs Libra and Taurus. Astrology (from Greek grc ἄστρον astron, "constellation star" and grc -λογία -logia) is a group of Systems Libra is the seventh Astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the constellation of Libra.

Superstition

In some cultures, Friday is considered unlucky, especially Friday the 13th. Friday the 13th is superstitiously considered a day of bad Luck in English - French - and German -speaking countries as well as in other This is particularly so in maritime circles; perhaps the most enduring sailing superstition is that it is unlucky to begin a voyage on a Friday. In one myth a Royal Navy ship (HMS Friday) was laid down on a Friday, launched on a Friday, captained by a Captain Friday, and was never heard of again. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service)

As told by comedian Dave Allen on the BBC in the 1970s, however, this superstition is not universal, notably in Scottish Gaelic culture:

"Though Friday has always been held an unlucky day in many Christian countries, still in the Hebrides it is supposed that it is a lucky day for sowing the seed. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings See also Hebrides (disambiguation The Hebrides (ˈhɛbrɨˌdiːz "HEB-ri-deez" Gaelic: Innse Gall) comprise a widespread and diverse Good Friday in particular is a favourite day for potato planting—even strict Roman Catholics make a point of planting a bucketful on that day. Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday ("Pascha" The potato is a Starchy Tuberous crop Vegetable from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae Probably the idea is that as the Resurrection followed the Crucifixion, and Burial so too in the case of the seed, and after death will come life. This article concerns itself with Jesus Christ Christian, Islamic and other religious interpretations of resurrection in general Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from " (Reference: Dwelly’s [Scottish] Gaelic Dictionary (1911): Di-haoine)

Statistical anomaly

The use of the Gregorian calendar and its leap year system results in a small statistical anomaly, that the 13th of any month is slightly more likely to fall on a Friday than any of the other seven days. The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used Calendar in the world today Statistics is a mathematical science pertaining to the collection analysis interpretation or explanation and presentation of Data. ^[1] The figures are 688/4800 (43/300) which is . 1433333. . . , being just slightly greater than 1 in 7.

After the United States acquired Alaska from Russia in 1867, Friday October 6 was immediately followed by Friday October 18, adjusting to the adoption of the 1582 Gregorian calendar changes by the British colonies in 1752, and the shifting of the International Date Line. The Alaska Purchase (otherwise known as Seward's Folly or Seward's Icebox) by the United States from the Russian Empire occurred in 1867 at the behest Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used Calendar in the world today Prior to that change, Alaska began Russia's day, with the date line following the partially-defined border between Russian Alaska and British North America, including the colony of British Columbia.

Religious observances

The Jewish Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday and lasts until nightfall on Saturday. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Shabbat or Shabbos ( Hebrew: שַׁבָּת, shabbāt, shabbes, "rest/inactivity" is the Weekly Sabbath Sunset, also called sundown in some American English Dialects is the instant when the trailing edge of the Sun 's disk disappears below

In Christianity Good Friday is the Friday before Easter. Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday ("Pascha" Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE)

Traditionally, Roman Catholics were obliged to refrain from eating the meat of land animals on Fridays, although fish was allowed. For Roman Catholics, Fasting is the reduction of one's intake of food to one full meal a day Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Since the Second Vatican Council, abstention from meat is restricted to Fridays in Lent, as well as Ash Wednesday. The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, was the twentieth century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. In the Western Christian Calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty days before Easter (excluding Sundays Roman Catholic canon law still requires Catholics to practice a work of penance for all Fridays throughout the year, whether abstinence from meat or other food, or some work of charity or other pious exercise. Canon law is internal ecclesiastical law governing the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Anglican Communion of churches [2] Some Traditionalist Catholics voluntarily continue to practice every-Friday abstinence. Traditionalist Catholics are Roman Catholics, or people who identify as Roman Catholics who believe that there should be a restoration of many or all of the liturgical Some Anglo-Catholics also practice abstinence either on all Fridays or on Fridays in Lent. The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism (or sometimes possibly incorrectly High Church &mdashsee below describe people More generally, traditional Anglican Prayer Books prescribe weekly Friday abstinence for all Anglicans [3] [4].

The Eastern Orthodox Church continues to observe Fridays (as well as Wednesdays) as fast days throughout the year (with the exception of several fast-free periods during the year. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world A Fast Day is a day of religious Fasting observed at various periods by different religious groups Jewish Christian and other sometimes with the authority of government Fasting on Fridays entails abstinence from meat or meat products (i. Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging a desire or appetite for certain bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure e. , four-footed animals), poultry and dairy products. Poultry is the category of Domesticated Birds which some humans keep for the purpose of collecting their eggs, or kill for their Meat and/or Dairy products are generally defined as Foodstuffs produced from Milk. Unless a feast day occurs on a Friday, the Orthodox also abstain from using oil in their cooking and from alcoholic beverages (there is some debate over whether abstention from oil involves all cooking oil or only olive oil). The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints Cooking oil is purified Fat of Plant or Animal origin which is liquid at room temperature Olive oil is a fruit oil obtained from the olive ( Olea europaea; family Oleaceae along with Lilacs Jasmine and ash trees For the Orthodox, Fridays throughout the year commemorate the Crucifixion of Christ and the Theotokos (Mother of God), especially as she stood by the foot of the cross. The crucifixion of Jesus is an event recorded in all four Gospels (;;) which takes place after his arrest and trial and includes his scourging Theotokos (Θεοτόκος translit Theotókos) is a title of Mary the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, Theotokos (Θεοτόκος translit Theotókos) is a title of Mary the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, There are hymns in the Octoekhos which reflect this liturgically. A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities The Octoechos ( Greek:; Slavonic: Октонхъ Oktoikh, or Осмогласникъ Osmoglasnik)&mdashliterally the book These include Theotokia (hymns to the Mother of God) which are chanted on Wednesdays and Fridays called Stavrotheotokia ("Cross-Theotokia"). A Theotokion is a hymn ( Troparion or Sticheron) to the Theotokos (Birthgiver of God which is read or chanted during the Divine Services ( Canonical The dismissal at the end of services on Fridays begin with the words: "May Christ our true God, through the power of the precious and life-giving cross. . . . "

Quakers traditionally refer to Friday as "Sixth Day" eschewing the pagan origins of the name. Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world In Slavic countries, it is called "Fifth Day" (Polish piątek, Russian пятница – pyatnitsa). Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages

In Islam, Friday is the day of public worship in mosques (see Jumu'ah). For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. "Juma" redirects here For the indigenous Brazilian group see Juma people. In some Islamic countries, the week begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday, just like the Jewish and Christian week. The term Muslim world (or Islamic world) has several meanings In most other Islamic countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq, the week begins on Saturday and ends on Friday. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Friday is also the day of rest in the Bahá'í Faith. ^[2]

In Thailand, the color associated with Friday is blue, see Thai solar calendar. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj The Thai solar calendar, Suriyakati (สุริยคติ has been the official and prevalent Calendar in Thailand since it was adopted by King

Parasceve

Paraskeva and Parasceve redirect here, for the saint, see Paraskevi. Paraskevi ("( Good) Friday" in Greek is a female name

Parasceve (Greek paraskevé) seems to have supplanted the older term, prosábbaton 'pre-sabbath', used in the translation of Judith, viii, 6, and in the title –not to be found in Hebrew– of Psalm 92 (93). Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included It became, among Hellenistic Jews, the name for Friday, and was adopted by Greek ecclesiastical writers after the writing of "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles". Apparently it was first applied by the Jews to the afternoon of Friday, then to the whole day, its etymology pointing to the "preparations" to be made for the Sabbath, as indicated in the King James Bible, where the Greek word is translated by "Day of Preparation". That the regulations of the Law might be minutely observed, it was made imperative to have on the Parasceve, three meals of the choicest food laid ready before sunset (the Sabbath beginning on Friday night); it was forbidden to undertake in the afternoon of the sixth day any business which might extend to the Sabbath; Augustus relieved the Jews from certain legal duties from the ninth hour (Josephus, "Antiq. Shabbat or Shabbos ( Hebrew: שַׁבָּת, shabbāt, shabbes, "rest/inactivity" is the Weekly Sabbath Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was Josephus (AD 37 – c 100 also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu (Joseph son of Matthias and after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus Jud. ", XVI, vi, 2).

Parasceve seems to have been applied also to the eve of certain festival days of a sabbatic character. Foremost among these was the first day of the unleavened bread, Nisan 15. This article is about the Jewish month of Nisan See Nissan Motors for the automobile manufacturer We learn from the Mishna (Pesach. The Mishnah or Mishna (he משנה "repetition" from the verb shanah he שנה or "to study and review" is a major work of Rabbinic Judaism , iv, 1, 5) that the Parasceve of the Pasch, on whatever day of the week it fell, was kept even more religiously than the ordinary Friday, in Judaea work ceasing at noon, and in Galilee the whole day being free. Passover ( Hebrew, Yiddish: פֶּסַח Pesach, Tiberian: pɛsaħ Israeli: Pesah, Pesakh, Yiddish "Galil" redirects here For the weapon see IMI Galil. Galilee (הגליל ha-Galil, lit the province, In the schools the only question discussed regarding this particular Parasceve was, when should the rest commence: Shammai said from the very beginning of the day (evening of Nisan 13); Hillel said only from after sunrise (morning of Nisan 14). Shammai (50 BCE&ndash30 CE Hebrew: שמאי was a Jewish scholar of the 1st century and an important figure in Judaism 's core work of Rabbinic literature

The use of the word Parasceve in the Gospels raises the question concerning the actual day of Christ's crucifixion. This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " All the Evangelists state that Jesus died on the day of the Parasceve (Matthew 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:14, 31), and there can be no doubt from Luke 23:54-56 and John 19:31, that this was Friday, but on what day of the month of Nisan did that particular Friday fall? Saint John distinctly points to Nisan 14, while the Synoptics, by implying that the Last Supper was the Paschal meal, convey the impression that Jesus was crucified on Nisan 15. The Four Evangelists refers to the authors of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following ancient titles Gospel according The Gospel of Matthew (Gk Κατά Ματθαίον Ευαγγέλιον is one of the four Canonical gospels in the New Testament and is a Synoptic gospel Content Authorship The gospel itself is anonymous but as early as Papias in the early 2nd century a text was attributed to Mark, a cousin The Gospel of Luke (Gk Κατά Λουκάν Ευαγγέλιον) is a synoptic Gospel, and is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the The Gospel of John (literally According to John; Greek, Κατὰ Ἰωάννην Kata Iōannēn) is the fourth Gospel in the canon Saint John the Apostle ( Greek Ιωάννης, see Names of John) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. In the Christian Gospels the Last Supper (also called the Lord's Supper or Mystical Supper) was the last meal Jesus shared with his But this is hardly reconcilable with the following facts: after the Supper, he and his disciples left the city, as also did the men detailed to arrest him–this, on Nisan 15, would have been contrary to Exodus 12:22; the next morning the Jews had not yet eaten the Passover; moreover, during that day the Council convened; Simon was apparently coming from work (Luke 23:26); Jesus and the two robbers were executed and were taken down from the crosses; Joseph of Arimathea bought fine linen (Mark 15:46), and Nicodemus brought "a mixture of myrrh and aloes about an hundred pound weight" (John 19:39) for the burial; lastly the women prepared spices for the embalming of the Saviour's body (Luke 23:55)–all things which would have been a desecration on Nisan 15. Exodus ( Greek: έξοδος eksodos = "departure" is the second book of the Jewish Torah and of the Christian Old Testament. See also Simeon Simon is a common name from Hebrew שִׁמְעוֹן Šimʿon, meaning "he has heard" A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other dividing one or two of the lines in half Joseph of Arimathea was according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' Crucifixion Linen is a Textile made from the Fibers of the Flax plant Linum usitatissimum. Nicodemus (Greek Νικόδημος was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, who according to the Gospel of John, showed favour to Jesus Myrrh is a reddish-brown Resinous material the dried sap of the tree Commiphora myrrha, native to Yemen, Somalia Aloe, also written Aloë, is a Genus containing about four hundred Species of flowering succulent Plants Burial, also called interment and inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground A spice is a dried Seed, Fruit, Root, Bark or vegetative substance used in Nutritionally insignificant quantities as a Food additive Most commentators, whether they think the Last Supper to have been the Paschal meal or an anticipation thereof, hold that Christ, as Saint John states, was crucified on the Parasceve of the Pasch, Friday, Nisan 14.

Named days

• Good Friday is the Friday before Easter in the Christian calendar. Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday ("Pascha" Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used Calendar in the world today It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE)
• Black Friday refers to any one of several historical disasters that happened on Fridays.
• In the United States, Black Friday is also the nickname of the day after Thanksgiving, the first official day of the Christmas shopping season when most commercial businesses gain enough profit to come out of overall loss (out of the "red" and into the "black") for the year. Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States, where it is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season
• Casual Friday (also called Dress-down Friday or Aloha Friday) is a relaxation of the formal dress code employed by some corporations for that one day of the week. Casual Friday (also known as Dress-down Friday, Bis-Cas-Fri, or simply Casual day) is an American and Canadian custom which has Clothing is an aspect of Human physical appearance, and like other aspects of human physical appearance it has social significance A corporation is a separate legal entity usually used to conduct business

References