The History of Weekday Names & Birth Date Folklore
Exploring planetary naming origins and centuries-old cultural traditions.
Celestial Origins of Weekdays
In ancient Babylonian and Roman astronomy, the 7 days of the week were named after the 7 classical celestial bodies visible to the naked eye: the Sun (Sunday), the Moon (Monday), Mars (Tuesday / Tiw), Mercury (Wednesday / Woden), Jupiter (Thursday / Thor), Venus (Friday / Frigg), and Saturn (Saturday).
The Monday's Child Tradition
The poem Monday's Child was first recorded in Devonshire, England in 1838. It was used for generations to help children learn the order of the days of the week and celebrate their birth weekday.