In many languages, the days of the week carry fascinating historical and cultural significance, and Portuguese is no exception. Unlike other Romance languages where the days are named after planets or gods, the days of the weeks in Portuguese offer a unique perspective – timekeeping. Let’s delve into the origins of the days of the week in Portuguese and understand why they differ from other languages in this linguistic journey.
From Planets to Catholic Tradition
In English and other languages influenced by Norse mythology, we find a mix of day names derived from both planets and gods. However, in Romance languages like Italian, French, Spanish, and Romanian, the days typically take their names from the planets.
Portuguese followed this trend until the Middle Ages when a significant change occurred. The Arch Bishop of Braga proposed renaming the days during Holy Week, considering the original planet-based names too pagan and blasphemous for this sacred time. The term “feria,” meaning rest in Latin, was introduced to denote these holy days, reflecting the period’s dedicated rest and prayer.
From Feria to the Feira
Under this new system, Sunday became “Dominica,” signifying the day of the Lord, while Monday through Friday was labelled ferias (holy days), reflecting their order as rest days during Holy Week. Over time, these names became standard for all days of the week, with minor changes occurring over the centuries.
Today, the days of the week in Portuguese are as follows:
- Segunda-feira (Monday)
- Terça-feira (Tuesday)
- Quarta-feira (Wednesday)
- Quinta-feira (Thursday)
- Sexta-feira (Friday)
- Sábado (Saturday)
- Domingo (Sunday)
Unique Characteristics of Portuguese and Galego
One distinctive feature of Portuguese and its close relative Galego is the alignment of day names with their sequential order. Unlike other Romance languages that retained their planet-based names, Portuguese and Galego reflect the order of the days in their nomenclature.
another important thing to take note of is the way we abbreviate the weekdays in writing:
- Segunda-feira = 2ª feira or 2F
- Terça-feira = 3ª feira or 3F
- Quarta-feira = 4ª feira or 4F
- Quinta-feira = 5ª feira or 5F
- Sexta-feira = 6ª feira or 6F