Friday: An Essay

   Everybody has a favorite day of the week. For a lot of people, like me, Friday is that day. If Friday is not your favorite day of the week, this blog post probably won't interest you. For those of us who love Friday more than any other day, read on!

The goddess Frigg, spinning the clouds.

   First, to fully understand the awesomeness of anything, we first need to know where it comes from , and a little bit of what it's about. So, the name. There are two conflicting hypotheses on the origin of the name. The first guess is that it comes from the Old English Frīġedæġ, meaning "day of Frigg". Frigg was a Germanic goddess equivalent to Venus/Aphrodite.
The other idea is that the name comes from the Old Norse goddess Freya(or Freja), goddess of beauty. Both of these goddesses are very similar with close origins, so it is difficult to tell which is the original.

   The use of Friday varies from country to country. In America, of course, it is the last day of work before Saturday and Sunday, two days of weekend. Friday is therefore associated with freedom and rejoicing (at least in my house). Some other countries, however, are not as fortunate. In Saudi Arabia, Friday is the last day of the two-day weekend, with Saturday as the first day of the working week. In Iran, Friday is the only day of the weekend. I would not give up my two-day weekend without a fight. Not that I'm lazy, but who doesn't need a break?

   Friday, in some cultures, is often considered unlucky. This is especially so in maritime circles, as it is considered unlucky to set sail on that day. In the 19th century, writing in his nautical lexicon The Sailor's Word-Book, Admiral William Henry Smythe described Friday as
    "The Dies Infaustus, on which old seamen were desirous of not getting under weigh, as ill-omened."
    Dies Infaustus means 'unlucky day'. It is said that this superstition is rooted in the well-known urban legend of the HMS Friday. If you don't know what that is... Well, maybe I'll write about it some other time.

   Friday, however, is not always considered to be an unlucky day. This opinion is found mostly in Scottish Gaelic culture. To quote the Illustrated Gaelic-English Dictionary:

"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. 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. 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."

    So we see that, while Friday is often given a bad rep, at least its a good day in two cultures (American/Scottish). Friday the 13th, however, will always be considered unlucky.

   On a somewhat happier note, Friday is also renowned for its religious significance. In Islam Friday is the equivalent of the Christian Sunday. In Christianity, Good Friday is the day of Christ's crucifixion on the cross. In Roman Catholicism, during Lent, followers must abstain (refrain from eating) meat on Friday's, though fish is acceptable. Quaker tradition refers to Friday as the "Sixth Day". This is to eschew any relation to the pagan origin of the day's name.

   So, there you have it. A history on the day Friday. At the end of it all, I'm just grateful for Friday night; a night of relaxation, as I prepare for two more days of doing nothing. I know, I know, I live a hard life. Thanks for reading.

~Ian James~

References:
Name Origins: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday 
Adm. William Henry Smyth Quote: Smyth, William Henry (1991), The Sailor's Word-Book, Conway Maritime Press, ISBN 0-85177-972-7
Gaelic History Quote: Dwelly, Edward (1988), Illustrated Gaelic-English Dictionary, Gairm Publications, ISBN 0-901771-92-9, http://books.google.com/?id=dP1eIAAACAAJ&dq=inauthor:%22Edward+Dwelly%22
Friday Cat Pic: profilebrand.com