Tuesday

Tuesday is one of the seven days of the week. In Somali, the day names derive from ordinal numbers: Isniin (first/second), Talaado (third), Arbaco (fourth), Khamiis (fifth). This system mirrors Arabic, where days are named by numerals.

According to the ISO international calendar, Tuesday is the second day of the week, since the week begins on Monday. In other conventions, particularly those where the week starts on Sunday, Tuesday is the third day. Neither system changes the sequence of the other days.

Name and origin

The name 'Talaado' is related to the Arabic word for the number three (thalaathah), from which the Arabic name for Tuesday, 'al-thulaathaa', derives. In other languages, the name comes from earlier deities: English 'Tuesday' comes from the Germanic god Tiw, while French 'Mardi' comes from Mars, the Roman god of war. Thus two different naming systems apply to the same day.

Use in daily life

In Somali-speaking countries and many Muslim nations, Tuesday is an ordinary working day. It is among the days for commerce, school, and government business. In many rural areas and in towns with livestock and commodity markets, specific market days occur each week, and Tuesday is one of the market days in many cities.

Calendar and calculation

In a regular year of 365 days, the day of the week for a given date advances by one day in the following year; in leap years it advances by two days. Mathematical formulas such as Zeller's congruence are used to determine whether a given date falls on a Tuesday or another day.