A week is a time unit equal to seven days. The English word week continues an Old English wice, ultimately from a Common Germanic *wikōn-, from a root *wik- "turn, move, change". The Germanic word probably had a wider meaning prior to the adoption of the Roman calendar, perhaps "succession series", as suggested by Gothic wikō translating taxis "order" in Luke 1:8. The term "week" is sometimes expanded to refer to other time units comprising a few days. Such "weeks" of between four and ten days have been used historically in various places.^[1] Intervals longer than 10 days are not usually termed "weeks" as they are closer in length to the fortnight or the month than to the seven-day week.

Seven-day week[link]

Evidence of continuous use of a seven-day week appears with the Jews during the Babylonian Captivity of the 6th century BC.^[2] Both Judaism (based on the Creation narrative in the Bible) and ancient Babylonian religions used a seven-day week.^[3] Other cultures adopted the seven-day week at different times. Between the 1st and 3rd centuries the Roman Empire gradually replaced the eight-day Roman nundinal cycle with the seven-day week. Hindus may have adopted a seven-day week earlier than 11th century BC.^{[citation needed]} See Rig Veda. There is evidence of some Chinese groups using a seven-day week as early as 4th century.

Systems derived from the seven-day week[link]

Soviet Union[link]

Soviet calendar
12 December 1937
(Below 12:)
"Sixth day of the six-day week"
—————————
"Election day for the Supreme Soviet of the USSR"

Between 1929 and 1931 the USSR changed from the seven-day week to a five-day week. There were 72 weeks and an additional five national holidays inserted within three of them totaling a year of 365 days.^{[citation needed]}

In 1931, after its brief experiment with a five-day week, the Soviet Union changed to a six-day week. Every sixth day (6th, 12th, 18th, 24th and 30th) of the Gregorian Calendar was a state rest day. The five additional national holidays in the earlier five-day week remained and did not fall on the state rest day. But as January, March, May, July, August, October and December have 31 days, the week after the state rest day of the 30th was seven days long (31st–7th). This extra day was a working day for most or an extra holiday for others. Also as February is only 28 or 29 days depending on whether it is a leap year or not, the first of March was also made a state rest day, although not every enterprise conformed to this. To clarify, the week after the state rest day, 24/25 February to 1 March, was only five or six days long, depending on whether it was a leap year or not. The week after that, 2 to 6 March, was only five days long.^{[citation needed]}

The calendar was abandoned 26 June 1940 and the seven-day week reintroduced the next day.^{[citation needed]}

Decimal calendar[link]

A 10-day week, called décade, was used in France for nine and a half years from October 1793 to April 1802; furthermore, the Paris Commune adopted the Revolutionary Calendar for 18 days in 1871.

Christian "eighth day"[link]

For early Christians, Sunday, as well as being the first day of the week, was also the spiritual eighth day, as it symbolised the new world created after Christ's resurrection. The concept of the eighth day was symbolic only and had no effect on the use of the seven-day week for calendar purposes. Justin Martyr wrote: "the first day after the Sabbath, remaining the first of all the days, is called, however, the eighth, according to the number of all the days of the cycle, and [yet] remains the first".^[4] This does not set up an eight-day week, since the eighth day is also considered to be the first day of the next cycle (i.e., not the following day).

A period of eight days, starting and ending on a Sunday or starting on a major feast day and finishing on the same day of the week a (seven-day) week later, is called an octave. For centuries these were a major feature of the liturgical calendar, particularly of the Catholic Church, and some are still observed, though the number of such octaves has now been radically reduced. Some modern Church uses also preserve the idea of an eight-day period, starting and finishing on the same day of the week, and retain the name "octave" for them; for example, many churches observe an annual "Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity" on 18–25 January or in the week that begins with Pentecost Sunday. Organizations such as 8th Day Center for Justice, based out of Chicago, Illinois, use the concept in terms of social justice as well.

Hermetic lunar week[link]

The Hermetic Lunar Week Calendar is one of many proposed reforms to the Gregorian Calendar. The lunation is divided into the four moon phases and has six, seven, eight, or nine days depending on the actual time difference between the full moon, first quarter, new moon and last quarter.^[5]

"Weeks" in other calendars[link]

Periods termed "weeks" in calendars unrelated to the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Three-day[link]

The names of the days of the week (aste) in Guipuscoan Basque point to an earlier three-day week.^[6]

1. astelehena ("week-first", Monday)
2. asteartea ("week-between", Tuesday)
3. asteazkena ("week-last", Wednesday)

Four-day[link]

The Igbo of Nigeria have a traditional calendar with a four-day week. This "market week" features prominently in the fiction of Chinua Achebe.

Five-day[link]

The Javanese people of Indonesia have a five-day week known as the Pasaran cycle. This is still in use today and superimposed with seven-day week of the Gregorian calendar and Islamic calendar to become what is known as the 35-day Wetonan Cycle.

Six-day[link]

The Akan people of West Africa have a 42-day cycle known as Adaduanan. The Adaduanan cycle appears to be based on an older six-day week, still extant in some northern Guan communities such as the Nchumuru, on which is superimposed a seven-day week which may have been brought south with itinerant traders from the Savannah.^[7] The six-day week is referred to as Nanson (literally seven-days), reflecting an inclusive numbering system.

Eight-day[link]

Nundinal cycle[link]

The ancient Etruscans developed an eight-day market week known as the nundinal cycle around the 8th or 7th century BC. This was passed on to the Romans no later than the 6th century BC. As Rome expanded, it encountered the seven-day week and for a time attempted to include both. The popularity of the seven-day rhythm won and the eight-day week disappeared forever.

The cycle of seven days, named after the sun, the moon, and the five planets visible to the naked eye, was already customary in the time of Justin Martyr, who wrote of the Christians meeting on the Day of the Sun (Sunday).^[8]

Emperor Constantine eventually established the seven-day week in the Roman calendar in AD 321.^[9]

Celts[link]

It is believed the ancient Celts of the British Isles used a nine-night week. The moon was used to measure one day from another so nights were more significant. The nine nights divided nicely into a sidereal month of 27 nights. Each week of nine nights had eight days.^[10]

Marathi[link]

The Marathi language describes a week as Athavada, which means group of eight days and nine nights, though nowadays a seven day week is accepted and used according the roman calendar. In Marathi calendars the lunar tithis (lunar dates) are printed alongside the date and day of the seven day week used nowadays.The days are: Sunday means Ravivar named after the sun, Monday means somwar named after the moon, Tuesday is mangalwar named after planet Mars, Wednesday is budhwar named after the planet Mercury, Thursday is Guruvar named after the planet Jupiter, Friday is Shukrawar named after the planet Venus, Saturday is Shanivar named after the planet Saturn and back to Sunday (ravivar).

Nine-day[link]

The Gediminas Sceptre, a medieval Lithuanian calendar. Showing 12 months and 9 days in a week

Baltic calendars[link]

In the 14th century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania used a solar-lunar calendar. The structure of this calendar was understood with the help of the so-called Gediminas Sceptre discovered in 1680.^[11]

Historical records^{[citation needed]}give evidence that the week of the ancient Balts was nine days long. Thus, the sidereal month must have been divided into three parts.^[12]

Ten-day[link]

China[link]

The Chinese ten-day week went as far back as the Shang Dynasty (1200-1045 BC).^[13] The law in the Han Dynasty (206 BC – AD 220) required officials of the empire to rest every five days, called mu (沐), while it was changed into 10 days in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 – 907), called huan or xún (旬). Months were almost three weeks long (alternating 29 and 30 days to keep in line with the lunation). The weeks were labelled shàng xún (上旬), zhōng xún (中旬), and xià xún (下旬) which mean roughly "upper", "middle" and "lower" week.

Egypt[link]

Ancient Egypt had a ten-day week, three weeks per month with five extra days at the end of the year.

Revolutionary France[link]

The French Republican Calendar consisted of three ten-day weeks in a month called décades

Other calendar intervals[link]

Aztecs[link]

Restored Aztec sun stone showing the 20 Days

The Aztecs divided a ritual cycle of 260 days, known as Tonalpohualli, into 20 weeks of 13 days known as Trecena.

The Aztecs divided a solar year of 365 days, Xiuhpohualli, into 18 periods of 20 days and five nameless days known as Nemontemi. Although some call this 20-day division or grouping a month, it has no relation to a lunation and therefore the word "week" is more appropriate.^{[citation needed]}

Maya[link]

The Maya divided a 260-day ritual cycle known Tzolk'in into 20 weeks of 13 days known as Trecena.

The Maya also divided the year, Haab', into 18 periods of 20 days, Uinal, and five nameless days known as Wayeb'.

Bali, Indonesia[link]

The Pawukon is a 210-day calendar consisting of 10 different concurrent weeks of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 days.

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Colson, Francis Henry (1926). The Week: An Essay on the Origin and Development of the Seven-day Cycle. Cambridge University Press. OCLC 59110177. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Week

• Englisc Rímbóc: The Anglo-Saxon Calendar
•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "week". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

v t e Time Major concepts Time Eternity Arguments for eternity Immortality History Past Present Future Futures studies Deep time Time Portal Measurement and standards Chronometry UTC UT TAI Second Minute Hour Sidereal time Solar time Time zone Metric time Decimal time Hexadecimal time Clock Astrarium History of timekeeping devices Horology Marine chronometer Sundial Water clock Calendar Day Week Month Year Tropical year Gregorian Islamic Julian Intercalation Leap second Leap year Chronology Astronomical chronology Calendar era Chronicle Dating methodologies Geochronology Geologic Time Geological history Periodization Regnal year Timeline Religion and mythology Dreamtime Kāla Kalachakra Prophecy Time and fate deities Wheel of time Philosophy A-series and B-series B-Theory of time Causality Endurantism Eternal return Eternalism Event Perdurantism Presentism Temporal finitism Temporal parts The Unreality of Time Physical sciences Time in physics Absolute time and space Arrow of time Chronon Coordinate time Planck epoch Planck time Proper time Spacetime Theory of relativity Time dilation Gravitational time dilation Time domain T-symmetry Biology Chronobiology Circadian rhythms Psychology Mental chronometry Sense of time Specious present Sociology and anthropology Long Now Foundation Time discipline Time use research Economics Time value of money Time-based currency Time Banking Related topics Carpe diem Duration Space System time Tempus fugit Time capsule Time signature Time travel

lez:Никlи

Cyrus Broacha
Born	(1971-08-07) August 7, 1971 (age 40) Mumbai
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Spouse	Ayesha

Cyrus Broacha is a TV anchor, theatre personality, political satirist, columnist and author. He is also a stand-up comedian and prankster, best known for his show Bakra on MTV and his show The Week That Wasn't on CNN-IBN.

Early years[link]

Cyrus was born on August 7, 1971 to a Parsi father and Catholic mother. He studied at Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai and graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. He was also a student of the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute (New York).

He started acting at the age of five with a school play The Emperor's New Clothes. Every year he performed and wrote for the school magazine, winning prizes for English and drama.

Career[link]

Cyrus Brocha, when only 12, acted in his first Hindi film Jalwa with Pankaj Parashar and starred alongside Naseeruddin Shah. The next year, he did his first professional play Brighton Beach Memoirs under the baton of Pearl Padamsee. The press hailed him as a child prodigy, and his career in acting took off. He continued acting in several plays, as theatre became his passion. He also came into the limelight during his college's Malhar festival. When he was in college, FM radio took off in India, and he gained a reputation as a radio jockey.

After graduation, Cyrus went to the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York where he studied acting for theatre. After returning to India, he acted in many commercials, television serials and plays. He also hosted shows and corporate events, while pursuing his passion of theatre with over 20 commercial theater productions.

MTV[link]

His popularity had MTV seeking him. As anchor with them, his reputation grew as he became MTV's main face. He has, till date, interviewed almost everyone in the Hindi film industry from Amitabh Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan. His candid-camera show is MTV Bakra.

Host[link]

Cyrus has hosted many cricket shows including the popular Chevrolet Cricket Show on Ten Sports, and interviewed nearly every cricketer from every generation. Broacha anchors a news satire and comedy show, The Week That Wasn't on CNN-IBN, co-written and directed by friend Kunal Vijaykar. He presents the show Faking News on IBN 7, directed by friend Vijayakar. He led India's "Rock the Vote" campaign and represented MTV at the UNAIDS conference in Hanover, Germany. He moderated the Indian segment of "Be Heard - A Global Discussion With Colin Powell" in February 2002.^[1]

He appeared on Sony Entertainment Television's hit show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, India's Dancing with the Stars, and Fear Factor – Khatron Ke Khiladi Level 3 on Colors TV. He is also a columnist who writes for two leading national papers and two magazines. He hosts an annual show called Greenathon on NDTV.

Actor[link]

Cyrus Broacha has acted in the following Hindi movies:

• 99
• Little Zizou
• Fruit and Nut
• Mumbai Chakachak

Author[link]

In January 2010, he released his book Karl, Aaj aur Kal, a semi-autobiographical comedy about celebrities, Bollywood and politics. It traces the lives of two young best friends, Karl and Kunal, giving a humorous, tongue-in-cheek and witty account of how they make it big in Tinseltown. In 2011 he released another book, The Average Indian Male, which is a riotous account of the Indian male commonly referred to as the "aam aadmi".^[2]

Personal life[link]

Cyrus Broacha is married to Ayesha,^[3] a photographer. The couple have a son Mikhaail and a daughter Maya.^[4]

References[link]

External links[link]

• IMDB entry
• StarWeLove.com

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cyrus Broacha

The following is a list of significant men and women known for being the father, mother, or considered the founders mostly in Western socities in a field, listed by category. In most non-science fields, the title of being the "father" is debatable.

Church[link]

Games[link]

Humanities[link]

Military[link]

Nations[link]

Natural and social sciences[link]

Sports[link]

Technology[link]

Fields[link]

Inventions[link]

Towns, cities and regions[link]

Transport[link]

See also[link]

• List of inventors
• Father of medicare
• Founders of statistics

References[link]