Why Are the Names of the Days of the Week Called so?

This story was submitted by our reader Karthika Hiranmayee, from class 7 of Creek Sr Seeds School, and published in the May 2026 edition of Yaksha Prashna.

One evening, Sumedha was teaching her brother Vighnu the days of the week. Then a big question popped into her mind: Why are the days called Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday? Why not something else? Curious, she asked her scientist uncle.

Names Fixed Thousands of Years Ago

Her uncle chuckled and said, “Great question, Sumedha! These names were created thousands of years ago.” He explained that the naming of the days was influenced by ancient civilizations, especially the Romans, Germanic peoples, and ideas that came from Babylon.

The Inspiration from Astronomy

“Do you know these names are connected to astronomy?” her uncle asked.

“What? Really?” Sumedha gasped.

“Yes,” he replied. The Romans, who helped shape these names, got many of their ideas from older civilizations, especially the Babylonians, who were deeply interested in studying the sky and planets.

Names Connected to Different Planets

Her uncle explained that each day was originally linked to an important object in the sky. Sunday meant the Day of the Sun, and Monday meant the Day of the Moon. Tuesday was connected to Mars, Wednesday to Mercury, Thursday to Jupiter, Friday to Venus, and Saturday to Saturn.

Over time, people shortened and changed the names to make them easier to say, but their ancient origins remained.

Every Name Has a Story

Sumedha smiled. She realized that many things we use every day have a long history behind them. Even the names of the days connect us to people who lived thousands of years ago and spent their time studying the sky.

Every name has a story. Every story connects us to our past!

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