The Latin name for the day is Dies Veneris, which means Day of Venus in accordance with the “planet” assigned to the day by the ancients. This convention was adopted in Old English, and the day came to be known as Frīġedæġ translated Freya’s day or Frigg’s day, and this is where the confusion begins.
See Also: The Complete Story of how Monday Got its Name
In the stories of the gods and goddesses of the Anglosaxons, we find two goddesses – Frigga, the wife of Odin and queen of the gods; and Freya, the goddess of love and fertility. Some people think that Friday was named after Frigga, and others believe it was named after Freya, the confusion being a result of the similarity in their names.
Very similar stories are told of each of them; hence, historians believe that it is probable that they were really the same person. Since the day was named in honour of Venus – the Roman goddess of love and beauty -, the Nordic parallel was likewise associated with Freya. Hence, Frīġedæġ – Freya or Frigg’s day – came to be known as Friday in modern English.
The word for Friday in most languages derived from Latin – French, Spanish, Italian, etc – is derived from Latin dies Veneris. An example being the name of this day in French, Vendredi. It is also the same in most Indian languages where Friday is called Shukravar, and named for Shukra – the Sanskrit name for the planet, Venus.
It is likewise in Japanese, where it is called kinyōbi – from the root word kinsei, meaning gold planet, a term used for Venus. Also, in Korean and Chinese languages, where the characters match those for the planet, Venus.
Some Quick Facts:
1. Keeping with the tradition of naming the other week days, Slavic languages – Russian, Belarussian, Slovak, Czech, Bulgarian, etc – do not associate this day with Venus, choosing to call it “the fifth day” instead, because of its obvious tie to paganism.
2. In Arabic, and much of the Muslim world, the day is called “jumah” meaning congregation or gathering. It is a general day of peace for Muslims, and a special prayer day called Salat Al Jumah.
3. In Christendom, Good Friday is the Friday before Easter, which commemorates the death of Jesus. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Fridays and Wednesdays are fast days throughout the year.
4. In countries where Monday is the first day of the week, Friday is the fifth day. In Israel, it is the sixth day counting from Sunday – which is the first day of the Jewish week. Furthermore, the Jewish Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday and lasts until nightfall on Saturday.
5. There is a myth about Friday, the 13th in the Western world as being an unlucky day. Friday the 13th usually occurs in the month whose first day is a Sunday.
Given all these details about Friday in various cultures across the world. What is this day called in your native language? It is called Ojo Eti in Yoruba. Want to tell us yours?
See Also: 10 Scary Facts About Friday and the Number 13!
