The god Woden, after whom 'Wednesday' was named. "Odin, the Wanderer" 1886 by Georg von Rosen (1843-1923)

Wednesday is the third day of the week in most western countries and the fourth day of the week in the Christian calendar, between Tuesday and Thursday. Georg von Rosen (1843-1923 was a Swedish painter known for his treatment of subjects from Swedish history and Norse mythology. 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 A day (symbol d is a unit of Time equivalent to 24 Hours and the duration of a single Rotation of planet Earth with respect to the A week (also called sennight or sevennight) is a unit of Time longer than a Day and shorter than a Month. Tuesday is the third Day of the week between Monday and Wednesday. 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

Origins of the name

See Days of the week for more on naming 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

The name comes from the Middle English Wednes dei, which is from Old English Wēdnes dæg, meaning the day of the Norse god Woden (Wodan) who was a god of the Anglo-Saxons in England until about the 7th century. Middle English is the name given by Historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of Norse mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and Legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland Wōden is a god in Anglo-Saxon paganism, together with Norse Odin representing a development of a Proto-Germanic god * Wōdanaz For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The 7th century is the period from 601 to 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Wēdnes dæg is like the Old Norse Oðinsdagr ("Odin's day"), which is an early translation of the Latin dies Mercurii ("Mercury's day"), and reflects the widespread association of Woden with Mercury going back to Tacitus. Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire.

In Romance languages it is derived from the name of the Roman god Mercury: mercredi (French), mercoledì (Italian), miércoles (Spanish), miercuri (Romanian), dimecres (Catalan), dies Mercurii (Latin). The Romance languages (sometimes referred to as Romanic languages, or Neolatin languages) are a branch of the Indo-European language family comprising all "Alipes" redirects here For the Centipede Genus, see Alipes (centipede. Similarly, in most of the Indian Languages the name for Wednesday, Buddhavar is derived from the Vedic name for Mercury, Buddha. Vedic Sanskrit is an ancient Indian language, the language of the Vedas, the oldest Shruti texts of Hinduism. Buddh is also used in Urdu. Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised Russian does not use pagan names but instead uses sredá, meaning "middle," similar to the German Mittwoch. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Likewise, Portuguese uses the word quarta-feira, meaning "fourth day. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. "

Position in the week

When Sunday is taken as the first of the week, the day in the middle of each week is Wednesday. Arising from this, the German name for Wednesday has been Mittwoch (literally: "mid-week") since the 10th Century, having displaced the former name: Wodanstag ("Wodan's day"). The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. The Finnish name is similar: Keskiviikko (literally: "middle of the week") as is the Icelandic name: Miðvikudagur ("Mid-week day"). Finnish ( or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% As of 2006) and by ethnic Finns outside Icelandic ( is a North Germanic language, the language of Iceland. Wednesday is "sereda" in Ukrainian, which has the same word base as "seredyna", which is translated as "middle".

Wednesday is also in the middle of the common Western 5-day workweek that starts on Monday and finishes on Friday.

Religious observances

Quakers traditionally refer to Wednesday as "Fourth Day", eschewing the pagan origin of the name "Wednesday". Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world Most eastern languages also use a name with this meaning, for much the same reason.

The Eastern Orthodox Church observe Wednesday (as well as Friday) as a fast day 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 Friday (pronunciation ˈfraɪdeɪ ˈfraɪdi is the day of the Week falling between Thursday and Saturday. 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 Wednesday and 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 In modern English usage meat most often refers to Animal tissue used as food mostly Skeletal muscle and associated Fat, but it may also refer 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 fish, 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 Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two 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, Wednesdays and 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. The Octoechos ( Greek:; Slavonic: Октонхъ Oktoikh, or Осмогласникъ Osmoglasnik)&mdashliterally the book These include special Theotokia (hymns to the Mother of God) 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 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 dismissal at the end of services on Wednesday begins with these words: "May Christ our true God, through the power of the precious and life-giving cross. . . . "

According to the Hebrew Bible, Wednesday is the day when the Sun and Moon were created. The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written in Biblical Hebrew (and the related Biblical Aramaic The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System.

Cultural references

An English language idiom for Wednesday is "hump day", a reference to making it through to the middle of the work week as getting "over the hump. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States An idiom is a Phrase whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal Definition, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only "

In the folk rhyme, "Wednesday's child is full of woe". Monday's Child is one of many fortune-telling songs popular as Nursery rhymes for children In another rhyme reciting the days of the week, Solomon Grundy was 'Married on Wednesday. " Solomon Grundy " is a 19th century children's Nursery rhyme, and was presented by James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps in 1842 ' In Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, the disagreeable nature of the weather is attributed to it being "Winds-Day" (a play on "Wednesday"). Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day is an animated Featurette based on the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A In Richard Brautigan's In Watermelon Sugar Wednesday is the day when the sun shines grey. Richard Gary Brautigan ( January 30, 1935 – ca In Watermelon Sugar is a Novella written by Richard Brautigan published in 1968

Wednesday is used as a character's first or last name in several narrative works, including Thursday's fictions by Richard James Allen, Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods, and the 60's television show, The Addams Family. Richard James Allen (born 1960 is a contemporary Australian poet dancer and filmmaker Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and American Gods is a Novel by Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, Fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern The Addams Family is an American Television series based on the characters in Charles Addams ' ''New Yorker'' cartoons.

A song titled "Wednesday's Song" is on the 2004 album Shadows Collide with People by John Frusciante, and "Wednesday" is the title of a song on musician Tori Amos' "Scarlet's Walk" album. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Shadows Collide with People is the fourth studio album by John Frusciante, released February 24 2004. John Anthony Frusciante (pronounced) (born March 5 1970 is an American Guitarist, singer songwriter and record producer Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos on August 22, 1963) is a Pianist and Singer-songwriter of dual British and American Scarlet's Walk is the seventh album released in Singer-songwriter Tori Amos ' solo career

According to the Thai solar calendar, the color associated with Wednesday is green. 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

Common occurences

Astrology

The astrological sign of the planet Mercury represents Wednesday -- Dies Mercurii to the Romans, with similar names in Latin-derived languages, such as the French Mercredi and the Spanish Miércoles. Astrology (from Greek grc ἄστρον astron, "constellation star" and grc -λογία -logia) is a group of Systems 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 In English, this became "Woden's Day", since the Roman god Mercury was identified with Woden in northern Europe. "Alipes" redirects here For the Centipede Genus, see Alipes (centipede. Northern Europe is a term for the northern part of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as (Finland

Named days

• Ash Wednesday, the first day of Roman Catholic Lent, occurs forty days before Easter, not counting Sundays. In the Western Christian Calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty days before Easter (excluding Sundays Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year.
• Spy Wednesday is an old name given to the Wednesday immediately preceding Easter, in allusion to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Judas Iscariot, יהודה איש־קריות Yəhûḏāh ʾΚ-qəriyyôṯ was according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original apostles