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Post by potia on Mar 4, 2010 12:49:52 GMT -1
I've just learnt that the Scottish Gaelic days of the week and their roots are as follows (according to the BBC site Beag Air Bheag Unit 4): - Didòmhnaich - Sunday, Latin, dies Dominica, day of the Lord.
- Là na Sàbaid - Sunday, Celtic/Latin, Sabbath day.
- Diluain - Monday, Latin, dies lunae, day of the moon.
- Dimàirt - Tuesday, Latin, dies Martis, day of Mars.
- Diciadain - Wednesday, Ancient Gaelic, day of the first fast.
- Diardaoin - Thursday Ancient Gaelic, day between two fasts.
- Dihaoine - Friday, Ancient Gaelic, the fast day.
- Disathairne - Saturday, Latin, dies Saturni, day of Saturn.
I am particulalry curious about whether the names for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday could really be leftover from ancient times or whether they are perhaps referring to behaviors that took place within the early Christian church on these days. Any thoughts/opinions on this? |
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Post by deiniol on Mar 4, 2010 14:48:58 GMT -1
I am particulalry curious about whether the names for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday could really be leftover from ancient times or whether they are perhaps referring to behaviors that took place within the early Christian church on these days. They're early (or, in the case of Friday, not so early) Christian observances: on Wednesday the early church mandated fasting in rememberance of Christ's betrayal and on Friday in rememberance of his crucifixion. In the Catholic Church, the injunction to fast on a Friday is still in force, or at least it was when I was a kid. Wednesday fasting outside of Lent is today restricted to the Orthodox Churches, and has been since one of the Lateran councils (IIRC). |
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Post by megli on Mar 4, 2010 15:51:26 GMT -1
Yup. In early medieval ireland (whence these names, and Gaelic culture of course) if you were a 'client' of a monastic foundation---that is, if the abbot was like a secular lord to you, to whom you gave food renders and who in turn gave you breeding stock---then you also had to fast from sex as well as meat on wednesdays and fridays! Even if you were a married couple, you were not allowed to have sex or eat meat on a little under half the days of the year, once you factor in Lent and Advent.
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Post by potia on Mar 4, 2010 15:54:05 GMT -1
That explains that then. For a moment there I thought I might have stumbled onto something a little more interesting.  |
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Post by Rion on Mar 4, 2010 17:12:35 GMT -1
Yup. In early medieval ireland (whence these names, and Gaelic culture of course) if you were a 'client' of a monastic foundation---that is, if the abbot was like a secular lord to you, to whom you gave food renders and who in turn gave you breeding stock---then you also had to fast from sex as well as meat on wednesdays and fridays! Even if you were a married couple, you were not allowed to have sex or eat meat on a little under half the days of the year, once you factor in Lent and Advent. Sounds awful. I wonder how many people actually followed that? |
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Post by robinherne on Mar 4, 2010 17:31:10 GMT -1
Might have been an effective form of population control, though. Plus a means of reducing the amount of livestock that needed slaughtering.
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Post by megli on Mar 4, 2010 19:13:49 GMT -1
Well, it was an ecclesiastical culture which emphasised asceticism.
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