The ancient Babylonians were also known to have observed a fixed seven-day week. The Babylonian usage eventually influenced other cultures in Eastern Mediterranian and Middle East. The use of the fixed 7-day period was probably a simplification of a part of a lunar month. Note that both the Babylonians and the Jews retained the lunar while using the 7-day week.
Various groups of citizens of the Roman Empire adopted the week, especially those who had spent time in the eastern parts of the Empire including Egypt where the 7-day week was in use. Contemporaneously, Christians picked up the practice from the Jews and spread the week's use along with their religion.
As the early Christians evolved from being Jewish to being a distinct group various groups evolved from celebrating the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) and the first Day, the Lord's Day (Sunday), to only celebrating Sunday.
In the Early 4th Century (CE), the Roman Emperor Constantine regulated the use of the week due to a problem of myriad uses of various days for religious observance, and established the first day as the day for for religious observance for all groups, not just those Christians who were already observing Sunday. The Jews retained their (at least) 800-year-old tradition of Saturday observance. Later, after the establishment of Islam, Friday became that religion's day of observance.
In English the names of the days mostly come from Germanic gods and goddesses: Monday - moon, Tuesday - Tyr, Wednesday - Wodan or Odin, Thursday - Thor, Friday - Freyr, Saturday - Saturn, Sunday - the sun
Days of the week:
Saturday and Sunday are commonly called the weekend and are days of rest and recreation in most western cultures.
The week was not a Chinese concept, although the week is now used in all Chinese countries, just as in the rest of the world. In [Chinese literature]?, the new moon and full moon are often referred to, but there is no trace of any seven-day period. The lunar calendar follows the phase of the moon; the 15th of each month always has a full moon. The first and 15th days are often the time to fast or turn to a vegetarian diet for most part-time Buddhists. The word "week" is translated as "star period" in Chinese. The translation hints that the week is related to some astronomical events, or it was based on some misunderstanding of the translators when the concept was first introduced to China.
Facts and Figures:
1 week = 7 days
1 week = 168 hours = 10,080 minutes = 604,800 seconds
1 year = 52 weeks + 1 day (2 days in a leap year)
In a sidereal year there are always approximately 365.25 days, and thus 52 weeks, 1 day, and 6 hours.
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