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==Name and associations== Today, Saturday has two names in modern [[Standard German]]. The first word, {{lang|de|Samstag}}, is always used in [[Austria]], [[Liechtenstein]], and the German-speaking part of [[Switzerland]], and generally used in southern and western [[Germany]]. It derives from [[Old High German]] {{lang|goh|sambaztac}}, the first part (''sambaz'') of which derives from [[Greek language|Greek]] {{lang|el|Σάββατο}}, {{transliteration|el|sávvato}} and this Greek word derives from [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] {{lang|he|שבת}}, {{transliteration|he|[[Shabbat]]}}. However, the current German word for Sabbath is {{lang|de|Sabbat}}. The second name for Saturday in German is {{lang|de|Sonnabend}}, which derives from Old High German {{lang|goh|sunnunaband}}, and is closely related to the [[Old English]] word {{lang|ang|sunnanæfen}}. It means literally "Sun eve", i.e., "The day before Sunday". {{lang|de|Sonnabend}} is generally used in northern and eastern Germany, and was also the official name for Saturday in [[East Germany]]. Even if these two names are used regionally differently, they are usually understood at least passively in the other part. In West [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Frisian Frisian] there are also two words for Saturday. In Wood Frisian it is {{lang|fy|saterdei}}, and in Clay Frisian it is {{lang|fy|sneon}}, derived from {{lang|fy|snjoen}}, a combination of Old Frisian {{lang|ofs|sunne}}, meaning ''sun'' and ''joen'', meaning eve. In the [[Westphalia]]n dialects of [[West Low German|Low Saxon]], in [[East Frisian Low Saxon]] and in the [[Saterland Frisian language]], Saturday is called {{lang|stq|Satertag}}, also akin to [[Dutch language|Dutch]] {{lang|nl|zaterdag}}, which has the same linguistic roots as the English word ''Saturday''. It was formerly thought that the English name referred to a deity named ''Sætere'' who was venerated by the pre-Christian peoples of north-western Germany, some of whom were the ancestors of the [[Anglo-Saxons]]. Sætere was identified as either a god associated with the [[harvest]] of possible [[Slav]] origin,<ref>Palgrave, Francis, ''History of the Anglo-Saxons'' (1876), William Tegg & Co., London p.43</ref> or another name for [[Loki]]<ref>[http://www.sacred-texts.com/time/smd/smd22.htm Couzens, Reginald C., ''The Stories of the Months and Days'' (1923), ch.22]</ref> a complex deity associated with both good and evil; this latter suggestion may be due to [[Jacob Grimm]].<ref>Grimm, Jacob, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=mDHXAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA247= Teutonic Mythology]'' (1835), translated by James Steven Stallybrass in 1882 from ''[[Deutsche Mythologie]]'', George Bell, London, p. 247.</ref> Regardless,modern dictionaries derive the name from ''Saturn''.<ref>"Saturday", Oxford English Dictionary, Third Edition (2008).</ref><ref>[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saturday "Saturday"], Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2013).</ref><ref>[http://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=Saturday&submit.x=38&submit.y=18 "Saturday"], American Heritage Dictionary, Fifth Edition (2011).</ref><ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=Saturday&searchmode=none "Saturday"]. Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed 2013.</ref> In most [[languages of India]], Saturday is {{lang|hi-latn|Shanivāra}}, {{lang|hi-latn|vāra}} meaning day, based on [[Shani]], the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] god manifested in the planet [[Saturn]]. Some [[Hindus]] fast on Saturdays to reverse the ill effects of Shani as well as pray to and worship the deity [[Hanuman]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://pujayagna.com/blogs/hindu-fasting-days/fasting-in-hinduism | title=Hindu Fasting }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.learnreligions.com/hindu-deities-rituals-for-week-1770073 | title=Weekly Rituals in the Practice of Hinduism }}</ref> In the [[Thai solar calendar]] of [[Thailand]], the day is named from the [[Pali]] word for Saturn, and the [[color]] associated with Saturday is [[purple]].<ref>Segaller, Denis (2005). ''Thai Ways.'' Bangkok: Silkworm Books. ISBN 9781628400083.</ref> In [[Pakistan]], Saturday is {{lang|ur-latn|Hafta}}, meaning the week. In Eastern Indian languages like Bengali Saturday is called {{lang|bn|শনিবার}}, {{transliteration|bn|Shonibar}} meaning Saturn's Day and is the first day of the Bengali Week in the [[Bengali calendar]]. In [[Muslim world|Islamic countries]], Fridays are considered as the last or penultimate day of the week and are holidays along with [[Thursday]]s or Saturdays; Saturday is called {{lang|ar|سبت}}, {{transliteration|ar|Sabt}} (cognate to [[Biblical Sabbath|Sabbath]]) and it is the first day of the week in many [[Arab World|Arab countries]] but is the (second-to-)last day in other Islamic countries such as [[Indonesia]], [[Malaysia]], [[Brunei]], and [[Central Asia|Central Asian countries]]. In [[Japanese language|Japanese]], the word Saturday is {{lang|ja|土曜日}}, {{transliteration|ja|doyōbi}}, meaning 'soil day' and is associated with {{lang|ja|土星}}, {{transliteration|ja|dosei}}: Saturn (the planet), literally meaning "soil star". Similarly, in [[Korean language|Korean]] the word Saturday is {{lang|ko|토요일}}, {{transliteration|ko|tho yo il}}, also meaning earth day. The element Earth was associated with the planet Saturn in [[Chinese astrology]] and philosophy. The modern [[Māori language|Māori]] name for Saturday, {{lang|mi|rāhoroi}}, literally means "washing-day" – a vestige of early [[Colonization|colonized]] life when Māori converts would set aside time on the Saturday to wash their whites for [[Church service|Church]] on Sunday.<ref>[https://kupu.maori.nz/kupu/Rāhoroi Rāhoroi - Saturday], Kupu o te Rā</ref> A common alternative Māori name for Saturday is the transliteration {{lang|mi|hātarei}}. [[Religious Society of Friends|Quakers]] traditionally referred to Saturday as "Seventh Day", eschewing the "[[paganism|pagan]]" origin of the name.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://iymc.org/calendarnames.html |title=Guide to Quaker Calendar Names |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) |access-date=30 March 2017 |quote=In the 20th Century, many Friends began accepting use of the common date names, feeling that any pagan meaning has been forgotten. The numerical names continue to be used, however, in many documents and more formal situations."}}</ref> In [[Scandinavia]]n countries, Saturday is called {{lang|sv|lördag}}, {{lang|no|lørdag}}, or {{lang|nn|laurdag}}, the name being derived from the old word ''[[laugr]]/laug'' (hence [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]] name {{lang|is|Laugardagur}}), meaning bath, thus ''Lördag'' equates to bath-day. This is due to the [[Viking]] practice of bathing on Saturdays.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Vikings : facts and fictions|last=Wolf, Kirsten, 1959–|others=Mueller-Vollmer, Tristan|isbn=9781440862984|location=Santa Barbara, California|oclc=1035771932|year = 2018}}</ref> The roots ''lör'', ''laugar'' and so forth are cognate to the English word ''[[lye]]'', in the sense of detergent. The [[Finnish language|Finnish]] and [[Estonian language|Estonian]] names for the day, {{lang|fi|lauantai}} and {{lang|et|laupäev}}, respectively, are also derived from this term.
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