Thursday

Thursday is in 5 days, 26th December

Thursday is the day of the week between Wednesday and Friday. In most countries, according to the ISO 8601 it is the fourth day of the week, yet initially it used to be the fifth day. Such a sequence remains prevailing in the countries that adopt the “Sunday-first” convention rooted in the biblical tradition.

Etymology

As it is in the case of other days of the week, the name of Thursday in some countries is also directly connected with its position in the week. Slavic languages use the name that derives from number four. In Poland Thursday is called “czwartek”; in Russia - “четверг, chetverg”; in the Czech Republic - “čtvrtek"; and in Latvia - “ceturtdiena.” However, when Thursday has the fifth position in a country adopting the “Sunday-first” convention, the name is connected with number five: in Portuguese - “quinta-feira”; in Greek - “Πέμπτη, Pémpti.” Many countries, on the other hand, have decided to use the name rooted in the Latin language. In the 2nd/3rd century, days of the week were assigned to the planets and gods. Thursday was dedicated to Jupiter – the god of sky and thunder. For this reason, in Latin Thursday was called Iovis Dies - “Jupiter’s Day”. Jupiter’s name is also the basis of the Spanish (“jueves”), French (“jeudi”), Italian (“giovedì"), or Romanian (“joi”) name for Thursday. Germanic languages, however, had a common practice of changing the Roman god into their own, Norse equivalent god. As a result, most of these languages use the name connected with Thunor or Thor – in English “Thursday”; in Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian “torsdag”; in German “Donnerstag”.

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Interesting facts

Thursday in Modern Culture

Many people working from Monday to Friday treat Thursday with more sympathy than the previous days. This is because this day brings them closer to the longed-for weekend. Many college students even tend to call Thursday “the new Friday” or a “thirstday”, as Thursday evening is a good opportunity to throw a party. However, throughout the world, Thursday can also be associated with many other events. In Australia, for example, it is the day of most cinema movies premieres. Many employees in that country also get paid on Thursday. For this reason, in Australia, as well as in Norway, shopping malls are often open longer on Thursday than on other working days. In the United Kingdom, on the other hand, Thursday is since 1935 associated with the elections, for this has become a tradition to hold all general elections on that day of the week. Local elections are also usually held on the first Thursday of May. In the 18th-century Poland Thursday used to be the day of “Thursday Lunches” - gatherings of artists, politicians, intellectuals and other substantial people held in the Royal Castle by the King of Poland, Stanisław II August. Thursday used to be a special day also in Estonia, where people did not go to work, but used to gather in the woods dancing and singing until the early morning. Thursday is still an important day of the Christian tradition – especially Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday, which is Thursday before Easter. There is also a modern tradition connected with Thursdays – it is called Throwback Thursday, when people post their pictures or memories from the past on their social media.

Historical Thursdays

In the United States Thursday July 4, 1776, was a very special and memorable day – the day when the United States Declaration of Independence has been adopted. The anniversary of that day is yearly commemorated, and the act written partly by Thomas Jefferson has become a model of the modern government for the whole world. Another historical Thursday is also a worldwide known event – the night of November 9/10 (Thursday/Friday), 1989, the Berlin Wall existing for more than 28 years had fallen.

Did you know?

Back in the 50s and 60s in the United States, when a high schooler was dressed in green on Thursday, he or she was believed to be gay.