Thursday

Thursday is one of the seven days of the week. It falls between Wednesday and Friday. The Somali name comes from the Arabic word al-khamīs, which means 'fifth', since days are numbered from Sunday.

Systems of numbering weekdays differ. In the common practice of Somali and Islamic countries, Sunday is the first day of the week, making Thursday the fifth day. Under the international standard ISO 8601, which begins the week on Monday, Thursday is the fourth day.

Name and origin

In Somali, like other East African languages with Arabic influence, most day names rest on Arabic numerals: Monday (second), Tuesday (third), Wednesday (fourth), Thursday (fifth). Some European languages drew their names from earlier religions: English 'Thursday' is connected to the god Thor, while French 'Jeudi' and Italian 'Giovedì' derive from Jupiter (Jovis dies).

Social and religious use

In many Muslim regions, Thursday is the last working day of the week or a shortened day, since Friday is the day of congregational prayer. Thursday evening—which in Islamic reckoning marks the beginning of Friday when the sun sets—is often spent in Quranic recitation and community gatherings. Some Muslims observe voluntary fasting on Mondays and Thursdays.

In Western countries and regions where the workweek runs Monday to Friday, Thursday is the fourth working day. Many markets and trade days in cities are named after the day they are held, and such names sometimes become the name of the place itself.