Monday

Monday is the day of the week that is between Sunday and Tuesday. It is considered in some calendars to be the first day of the week, but the second day of the week in the United States, Canada, and Japan.

Naming Monday - Moon’s Day

The English word Monday was derived from Old English which literally means “moon’s day”.

• Middle English – Monday or mone(n)day
• Latin – dies lunae – “Day of the moon”
• Old Norse - mánadagr, mandag, mánudagur
• Old English – mōnandæg or mōndæg
• Ancient Greek – hemera selenes – “day of the moon”

Position in the Week

Monday is considered the first day of the week according to the international standard ISO 8601. In many cultures and languages, Monday is given a name that means either “second day” marking Sunday to be the first day of the week or a name that means the day after Sunday.

Slavic languages number Monday as the first day, not the second day. Many European countries have calendars that mostly show Monday as the first day of the week.

Significance in Culture

Monday used to be called “Blue Monday” because it was a day associated with washing clothes that involved blue dye. However, it now refers to the day when employees have to return to work after the weekend.

In many cultures, Monday is considered the worst day of the week because it is the first day of the work week. A number of songs often feature Monday as a day of depression, anxiety, or melancholy such as “Monday, Monday” from the Mamas & the Papas in 1966 or “Rainy Days and Mondays” from the Carpenters in 1971.

However, Mondays are considered good days for fasting in Judaism and Islam. In the Eastern Orthodox Church Mondays are days in which Angels are commemorated.

Common Events on Monday

Several holidays always fall on a Monday such as Labor Day, Memorial Day, Columbus Day and Veteran’s Day.