Friday

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Friday is the fifth day of the week, falling between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt a Sunday-first convention, it is commonly considered the sixth day of the week. (see Days of the week for more on the different conventions.)

The name Friday comes from the Old English frigedæg, meaning the day of Frige, the Norse god of beauty. Frige replaced the Roman god of beauty, Venus, as the namesake of the fifth day of the week after the Anglo-Saxon invasions of Britain. This is why the word for Friday in French is Vendredi, and in Italian it is Venerdi, after Venus, while in Modern German it is Freitag.

In most countries with a five-day work week, Friday is the last workday before the weekend and is therefore viewed as a cause for celebration or relief. In some offices, employees are allowed to wear less formal attire on Fridays, known as Casual Friday or Dress-Down Friday.

1 Friday in history
2 Friday in religion
3 Astrology
4 Unlucky Friday
5 Friday in popular culture
6 Named days

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Friday in history

In Alaska in 1867, Friday 6 October was immediately followed by Friday 18 October due to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar and shifting of the International Date Line after the United States acquired it from Russia.

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Friday in religion

In Islam, Friday is the day of public worship in mosques (see Friday prayers. In some Islamic countries, the week begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday, just like the Jewish and Christian week. In others, such as Iran and Afghanistan, the week begins on Saturday and ends on Friday.

The Jewish Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday and runs until sunset on Saturday.

Some Catholics will refrain from eating the meat of warm blooded animals on Fridays, and will often choose fish instead.

Quakers traditionally refer to Friday as "Sixth Day" eschewing the pagan origins of the name.

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Astrology

In French Friday is "Vendredi", as derived from the astrological connection between Friday and the planet Venus. This associates Friday with love, peace and relaxation yet also can be a day of emotional intensity and quashed dreams.

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Unlucky Friday

In some cultures, Friday is considered unlucky, especially regarding Friday the 13th. This is particularly so in maritime circles; in one (probably untrue) story a Royal Navy ship HMS Friday was laid down on a Friday, launched on a Friday and captained by a Captain Friday and was never heard of again.

However, this is not universal, notably in Scottish Gaelic culture:

"Though Friday has always been held an unlucky day in many Christian countries, still in the Hebrides it is supposed that it is a lucky day for sowing the seed. Good Friday in particular is a favourite day for potato planting—even strict Roman Catholics make a point of planting a bucketful on that day. Probably the idea is that as the Resurrection followed the Crucifixion, and Burial so too in the case of the seed, and after death will come life." (Reference: Dwelly’s [Scottish] Gaelic Dictionary (1911): Di-haoine)

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Friday in popular culture

The phrase TGIF is a popular acronym for Thank God (or Goodness) It's Friday, expressing relief at the end of the working week and anticipation of relaxing or partying over the weekend. The phrase has spawn several variations and corruptions, see TGIF.

Another phrase in pop culture has come out, "Happy Friday".

In the popular rhyme, "Friday's Child is loving and giving".

In the novel Robinson Crusoe, Friday is the name of a Native American cannibal who was saved by the protagonist on a Friday and became his servant.

Friday is a book by Robert A. Heinlein.

Friday is also a movie featuring rapper Ice Cube and has spawned several sequels.

Freaky Friday is the name of a movie made in 1976 and remade in 2003.

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Named days

Good Friday is the Friday before Easter in the Christian calendar. It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus.
Black Friday refers to any one of several historical disasters that happened on Fridays.
Casual Friday is a relaxation of the formal dress code employed by some corporations for one day of the week.