The greatest virtue of people is perhaps curiosity. We often question the reasoning of universal truths such as why the Sun rises in the east, why Earth revolves around the Sun, why the Moon has no life and many other such questions. Similarly, have you ever wondered why there are 7 days in a week, 4 weeks in a month and 12 months in a year across all calendars?
It all began with Roman astronomers after they added 2 months- July and August in honour of Julius Caesar and his successor Augustus. Originally, there were only 10 months in the calendar while a year consisted of 12 lunar cycles. The Romans added two months and a leap year to synchronise with the seasons. Each month was given 31 days.
Why 7 Days In A Week
According to a report by the Royal Museum Greenwich, the number 7 has been important for all cultures, not just Hindus. According to the earliest evidence available, a 7-day week was created during the reign of Sargon I, the ruler of Akkad, in 2300 BC. Sargon was the astronomically talented king of the Babylonians (today’s Iraq). He used to worship the number 7. These seven days were named after the seven planets that were visible to the naked eye. Apart from the Sun and Moon, the visible celestial planets were Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. Planets serve as the basis for months, years and days as they are directly related to astronomical events. The Moon completes its revolution around the Earth in approximately 27.3 days. The period between the new Moon and to full moon or full Moon to the new Moon is approximately 14.5 days. Half of it is 7.25. Hence, giving birth to the emergence of seven days in a week.
As for Indian culture, there was a 7-day Yagya festival during the Vedic period. However, the days were not given names along with it. Later, when Alexander came to India, he started preaching Greek culture and its ideologies. From here the concept of a seven-day week also came in India. Probably its oldest form here is in Garuda Purana which was written in the third century.
Judists believe that the world was created in these 7 days. In the Roman Empire, standards were set by placing these seven ‘planets’ sequentially. In almost all cultures, the days of the week are named in these two ways.
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