What is a weekend?

What is a weekend? 🧐

The concept of a weekend as we know it today really began during the Industrial Revolution in England, when workers were allowed to take Saturday afternoon and Sunday off, so they could come back refreshed on Monday morning.

But of course the “day of rest” goes back much farther. Some examples–

In Ancient Rome, there would be a day of rest every eight days, where workers would be allowed to put down their tools, and children could have a day away from their schooling. It was called a nundinae (“Ninth Day”).

During the Han Dynasty of China, the Imperial overlords would allow the peasants to take a break every five days for “Hsui-mu”, when they could have time to “rest and wash one’s hair.”

Sources: “Ancient Rome in So Many Words” by Christopher Francese; Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies; The Online Etymology Dictionary.