Thursday, February 17, 2011

This must be a Thursday....

This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
- Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Tonight I drew a blogging blank. I sought out the mind of my husband, asking him what he suggested blogging about. He said, "why not blog about Thursday's" At first I wasn't so sure but then I thought, "why not." I was pleasantly surprised that there is a vast amount of research regarding the history of "Thursday's. Enjoy my findings. Thursday's were always one of my favorite nights as a kid because it was pizza night!

The Mystery of Thursday

Do you ever get that feeling? A feeling that you just get somedays? A feeling that you have when you wake up in the morning and that stays with you all day? A feeling that something's just off, that something's not quite right?

If you get that feeling often, about once a week, check the calendar, it may simply be Thursday. Yes, Thursday. Millions of people feel the effects of Thursday every week. It's not Friday yet and it's too late to keep surfing the wave from last weekend. Is it simply the place it has in the week? So close to the weekend, yet so far. Or is there something more? Is it a curse, a hex from thousands of years ago? No one really knows for sure, but the fact remains, Thursday is an odd day.

Origins and History

The name 'Thursday' derives from a mix of Classical and Norse mythology. The day was originally attributed to Jupiter (Zeus), who is often considered equivalent with Thor. Thus, when Jove's Day became assimilated into Norse mythology it was known as Thor's Day, which passed from the Germanic Anglo-Saxon from days of old into the modern Thursday.

In the Romance languages the word for Thursday derives directly from the Latin Jovis dies, 'Jove's Day'. The French jeudi, the Spanish jueves, and the Italiangiovedí have retained the initial 'j' or 'g' letters, but the etymological link is from Jupiter. The German word for Thursday, Donnerstag, literally means 'thunder day' and comes from Donner, another name for Thor.

Placement in the Week

Much of Thursday's nature may simply be due to its placement within the week. Other days have more straight-forward importance from their positions, but Thursday's placement is arguably the oddest of them all. By Thursday, people can be resentful of the week's length while not feeling Friday's proximity to the weekend as a counterbalance.


Happy Thursday Everyone!

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