Wednesday
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225768114
2008-07-15T08:59:55Z
Soman
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/* Named days */ sindhi iw
{{Unreferenced|date=January 2008}}
[[Image:Georg von Rosen - Oden som vandringsman, 1886 (Odin, the Wanderer).jpg|right|thumb|250px|The god Woden, after whom 'Wednesday' was named. "Odin, the Wanderer" 1886 by [[Georg von Rosen]] (1843-1923)]]
'''Wednesday''' is the third [[day of the week]] in most western countries and the fourth [[day]] of the [[week]] in the Jewish calendar, between [[Tuesday]] and [[Thursday]].
==Origins of the name==
''See [[Days of the week]] for more on naming conventions.''
The name comes from the [[Middle English]] ''Wednes dei'', which is from [[Old English language|Old English]] ''Wēdnes dæg'', meaning the day of the [[Norse mythology|Norse]] god [[Woden]] (''Wodan'') who was a god of the [[Anglo-Saxons]] in [[England]] until about the 7th century. ''Wēdnes dæg'' is like the [[Old Norse]] ''Oðinsdagr'' ("[[Odin|Odin's]] day"), which is an early translation of the [[Latin]] ''dies Mercurii'' ("Mercury's day"), and reflects the widespread association of Woden with Mercury going back to [[Tacitus]].
In [[Romance languages]] it is derived from the name of the Roman god [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]]: ''mercredi'' (French), ''mercoledì'' (Italian), ''miércoles'' (Spanish), ''miercuri'' (Romanian), ''dimecres'' (Catalan), ''dies Mercurii'' (Latin). Similarly, in most of the Indian Languages the name for Wednesday, ''Buddhavar'' is derived from the [[Vedic Sanskrit|Vedic]] name for Mercury, ''Buddha''. ''Buddh'' is also used in [[Urdu]]. [[Russian language|Russian]] does not use pagan names but instead uses ''sredá,'' meaning "middle," similar to the [[German language|German]] ''Mittwoch.'' Likewise, [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] uses the word ''quarta-feira,'' meaning "fourth day."
===Position in the week===
When Sunday is taken as the first of the week, the day in the middle of each week is Wednesday. Arising from this, the [[German language|German]] name for Wednesday has been ''Mittwoch'' (literally: "mid-week") since the 10th Century, having displaced the former name: ''Wodanstag'' ("Wodan's day"). The [[Finnish language|Finnish]] name is similar: ''Keskiviikko'' (literally: "middle of the week") as is the [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]] name: ''Miðvikudagur'' ("Mid-week day"). Wednesday is "sereda" in Ukrainian, which has the same word base as "seredyna", which is translated as "middle".
Wednesday is also in the middle of the common Western 5-day [[workweek]] that starts on Monday and finishes on Friday.
==Religious observances==
[[Religious Society of Friends|Quakers]] traditionally refer to Wednesday as "Fourth Day", eschewing the [[paganism|pagan]] origin of the name "Wednesday". Most eastern languages also use a name with this meaning, for much the same reason.
The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] observe Wednesday (as well as Friday) as a [[fast day]] throughout the year (with the exception of several fast-free periods during the year). Fasting on Wednesday and Fridays entails [[abstinence]] from [[meat]] or meat products (i.e., four-footed animals), [[poultry]] and [[dairy products]]. Unless a [[feast day]] occurs on a Friday, the Orthodox also abstain from [[fish]], from using oil in their cooking and from [[alcoholic beverages]] (there is some debate over whether abstention from oil involves all [[cooking oil]] or only [[olive oil]]). For the Orthodox, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year commemorate the [[Crucifixion of Christ]] and the [[Theotokos]] ([[Mother of God]]), especially as she stood by the foot of the cross. There are hymns in the [[Octoechos (liturgy)|Octoekhos]] which reflect this liturgically. These include special ''[[Theotokion|Theotokia]]'' ([[hymn]]s to the Mother of God) called ''Stavrotheotokia'' ("Cross-Theotokia"). The [[dismissal]] at the end of services on Wednesday begins with these words: "May Christ our true God, through the power of the precious and life-giving cross...."
According to the [[Hebrew Bible]], Wednesday is the day when the [[Sun]] and [[Moon]] were created.
==Cultural references==
An [[American English]] [[idiom]] for Wednesday is "hump day", a reference to making it through to the middle of the work week as getting "over the hump."
In the [[Monday's Child|folk rhyme]], "Wednesday's child is full of woe". In another rhyme reciting the days of the week, [[Solomon Grundy]] was 'Married on Wednesday.' In ''[[Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day]]'', the disagreeable nature of the weather is attributed to it being "Winds-Day" (a play on "Wednesday"). In [[Richard Brautigan]]'s ''[[In Watermelon Sugar]]'' Wednesday is the day when the sun shines grey.
Wednesday is used as a character's first or last name in several narrative works, including ''[[Thursday's fictions]]'' by [[Richard James Allen]], [[Neil Gaiman]]'s novel [[American Gods]], and the 60's television show, [[The Addams Family (TV series)|The Addams Family]].
A song titled "Wednesday's Song" is on the 2004 album [[Shadows Collide with People]] by [[John Frusciante]], and "Wednesday" is the title of a song on musician [[Tori Amos]]' "[[Scarlet's Walk]]" album.
According to the [[Thailand|Thai]] [[Thai solar calendar|solar calendar]], the color associated with Wednesday is green.
[[Sheffield Wednesday Football Club]] are a professional [[Association football|football]] club based in [[Sheffield]], [[Yorkshire]], [[England]].
In the film [[Mean Girls]], Amy Poehler's character makes the girls a "Hump Day Treat".
==Common occurences==
{{Expand-section|date=April 2008}}
==Astrology==
The [[astrology|astrological sign]] of the planet [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]] represents Wednesday -- ''Dies Mercurii'' to the Romans, with similar names in Latin-derived languages, such as the [[French language|French]] Mercredi and the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] Miércoles. In English, this became "Woden's Day", since the Roman god [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]] was identified with Woden in [[northern Europe]].
==Named days==
*[[Ash Wednesday]], the first day of Roman Catholic [[Lent]], occurs forty days before [[Easter]], not counting Sundays.
*Spy Wednesday is an old name given to the Wednesday immediately preceding [[Easter]], in allusion to the betrayal of [[Jesus]] by [[Judas Iscariot]].
{{wiktionary}}
{{Days of the week}}
[[Category:Wednesday| ]]
[[Category:Days of the week]]
[[Category:Eastern liturgy]]
[[Category:Fasting]]
[[af:Woensdag]]
[[als:Mittwoch]]
[[am:ረቡዕ]]
[[ang:Wēdnesdæg]]
[[ar:أربعاء]]
[[frp:Demécro]]
[[ast:Miércoles]]
[[gn:Ararundy]]
[[az:Çərşənbə]]
[[bn:বুধবার]]
[[be-x-old:Серада]]
[[bs:Srijeda]]
[[br:Merc'her (deiz)]]
[[bg:Сряда]]
[[ca:Dimecres]]
[[cv:Юнкун]]
[[ceb:Miyerkoles]]
[[cs:Středa]]
[[co:Marcuri]]
[[cy:Dydd Mercher]]
[[da:Onsdag]]
[[de:Mittwoch]]
[[et:Kolmapäev]]
[[el:Τετάρτη]]
[[es:Miércoles]]
[[eo:Merkredo]]
[[eu:Asteazken]]
[[ee:Kuɖagbe]]
[[fo:Mikudagur]]
[[fr:Mercredi]]
[[fy:Woansdei]]
[[fur:Miercus]]
[[ga:Céadaoin]]
[[gd:Di-Ciadain]]
[[gl:Mércores]]
[[gan:禮拜三]]
[[ko:수요일]]
[[hy:Չորեքշաբթի]]
[[hi:बुधवार]]
[[hr:Srijeda]]
[[id:Rabu]]
[[ia:Mercuridi]]
[[is:Miðvikudagur]]
[[it:Mercoledì]]
[[he:יום רביעי]]
[[jv:Rebo]]
[[kn:ಬುಧವಾರ]]
[[ka:ოთხშაბათი]]
[[kk:Сәрсенбі]]
[[kw:Dy' Mergher]]
[[ky:Шаршемби]]
[[sw:Jumatano]]
[[ht:Mèkredi]]
[[ku:Çarşem]]
[[lad:Mierkoles]]
[[la:Dies Mercurii]]
[[lv:Trešdiena]]
[[lb:Mëttwoch]]
[[lt:Trečiadienis]]
[[lmo:Mercurdí]]
[[hu:Szerda]]
[[mk:Среда]]
[[ms:Rabu]]
[[nah:Yacatlipotōnal]]
[[myv:Куншкачи]]
[[nl:Woensdag]]
[[nds-nl:Woonsdag]]
[[ne:बुधवार]]
[[ja:水曜日]]
[[nap:Miercurì]]
[[no:Onsdag]]
[[nn:Onsdag]]
[[nrm:Mêcrédi]]
[[oc:Dimècres]]
[[uz:Chorshanba]]
[[km:ថ្ងៃពុធ]]
[[nds:Middeweken]]
[[pl:Środa]]
[[pt:Quarta-feira]]
[[ksh:Mettwoch]]
[[qu:Quyllurchaw]]
[[ru:Среда]]
[[sco:Wadensday]]
[[sq:E mërkura]]
[[scn:Mèrcuri]]
[[simple:Wednesday]]
[[sd: اربع]]
[[sk:Streda]]
[[cu:Срѣда]]
[[sl:Sreda]]
[[so:Arbaco]]
[[sr:Среда]]
[[sh:Sreda]]
[[su:Rebo]]
[[fi:Keskiviikko]]
[[sv:Onsdag]]
[[tl:Miyerkules]]
[[tt:Çärşämbe]]
[[te:బుధవారము]]
[[th:วันพุธ]]
[[vi:Thứ Tư]]
[[tpi:Trinde]]
[[tr:Çarşamba (gün)]]
[[bug:Rabaa]]
[[uk:Середа]]
[[ur:بدھ]]
[[vec:Mèrcore]]
[[fiu-vro:Kolmapäiv]]
[[wa:Mierkidi]]
[[vls:Woensdag]]
[[yi:מיטוואך]]
[[yo:Ọjọ́rú]]
[[zh-yue:星期三]]
[[cbk-zam:Miercoles]]
[[bat-smg:Trečiadėinis]]
[[zh:星期三]]