Naming the Days: The Influence of Ancient Astronomy on Modern Religious and Cultural Practices
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Abstract
A rich interplay of astronomy, religion, and mythology is reflected in the naming of days across cultures, providing insights into how societies organized time and perceived the universe. This study focuses on Ethiopia's distinctive calendar and religious influence while examining the cultural importance of weekday naming customs in other countries. The goal is to scrutinize how astronomical observations and antiquated customs from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Asia, and Ethiopia combine to influence modern timekeeping. This study tracks the development of day-naming customs throughout multiple civilizations by analyzing historical documents, linguistic trends, and religious writings using a comparative cultural analysis approach. The findings demonstrate that while many cultures, including Ethiopians, name their days after solar or lunar events, religious beliefs also play a major role, particularly in Ethiopian Orthodox Christian traditions. Day naming is a valuable tool for tracking time and a representation of cultural identity, according to the study, which finds that day name is heavily influenced by mythology and religion. It is suggested that conventional timekeeping methods be preserved via digital preservation and teaching and that interdisciplinary study be encouraged to delve deeper into these relationships.
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How to Cite
Belay Sitotaw Goshu, & Muhammad Ridwan. (2024). Naming the Days: The Influence of Ancient Astronomy on Modern Religious and Cultural Practices. LingLit Journal Scientific Journal for Linguistics and Literature, 5(3), 115-141. https://doi.org/10.33258/linglit.v5i3.1168
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48. Tadesse, H. (2009). The Ethiopian Orthodox Calendar: Historical and Liturgical Perspectives. Ethiopian Journal of Religious Studies, 6(2), 112-127.
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51. Telushkin, J. (2000). Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History. William Morrow Paperbacks.
52. Williams, J. (2004). The History of the Days of the Week. HarperCollins.
2. Abdullahi, J. (2018). Islamic Practices and Community Life in Harar. Journal of Islamic Studies, 12(4), 78-91.
3. Abebe, S. (2013). The Significance of Sunday in Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. Ethiopian Church History Review, 14(1), 45-60.
4. Ahmad, M. (2005). Islamic Calendar and its Importance. Al-Furqan Foundation.
5. Anduealem, H.A. Goshu, B.S., (2023), Exploring the interplay between human perception, astrophysics, and the Nile River: unraveling the significance of series, Harla J. App. Sci. Mat. 2(1), 43-77
6. Asfaw, B. (1997). Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity: History and Practices. University of Addis Ababa Press.
7. Aveni, A. F. (2001). Empires of time: calendars, clocks, and cultures. Basic Books.
8. Black, J., & Green, A. (1992). Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary. University of Texas Press.
9. Bottéro, J. (2001). Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia. University of Chicago Press.
10. Brown, C. (2008). The Origins of the Week: The Historical and Cultural Development of the Seven-Day Week. Oxford University Press.
11. Budge, E. A. W. (1904). The Gods of the Egyptians, or Studies in Egyptian Mythology. Metuen & Co.
12. Campbell, J. (2012). The Mythic Dimension: Selected Essays 1959–1987. HarperCollins.
13. Catholic Church. (1994). Catechism of the Catholic Church. Vatican Press.
14. Creswell, J. W. & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
15. Eisenstadt, S. N. (2002). Multiple Modernities: A Comparative Study of Societies in Transition. University of California Press.
16. Emmons, R. A. & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting Blessings versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-being in Daily Life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377-389.
17. Esposito, J. L. (1998). Islam: The straight path. Oxford University Press. Genesis 2:2-3, New International Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/
18. Friedman, M. (2008). The Jewish Book of Why: The Answers to All Your Questions About Jewish Life. HarperCollins.
19. Gebre, Y. (2001). Traditional Timekeeping and Religious Observances in Northern Ethiopia. Journal of Ethiopian Studies, 23(2), 56-78.
20. Genesis 2:2-3, New International Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/
21. Goodfellow, I., Bengio, Y., & Courville, A. (2016). Deep learning. MIT Press.
22. Goldschmidt, E. (2004). The Jewish Year: A New Calendar for All Seasons. Penguin Books.
23. Goshu, B. S. and Abdi, Y. M. (2024), The Ethiopian Calendar's Unusual Calculations and Comparison: Deciphering Its Exceptionality, International Journal of Recent Advances in Multidisciplinary Research, 11(2), 9950-9556
24. Griffiths, J. G. (1980). The Origins of Osiris and His Cult. Brill.
25. Hannah, R. (2005). Greek and Roman calendars: constructions of time in the classical world. Duckworth.
26. Hassen, M. (1994). The Oromo of Ethiopia: A History 1570–1860. Cambridge University Press.
27. Hornung, E. (1982). Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt: The One and the Many. Cornell University Press.
28. Hornung, E. (1999). The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife. Cornell University Press.
29. Hunger, H., & Pingree, D. (1999). Astral Sciences in Mesopotamia. Brill.
30. Hussein, H. (2008). Traditional Oromo Timekeeping and its Influence on Social Organizations Journal of Oromo Studies, 15(1), 45-62.
31. Kabat-Zinn, J. (2013). Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. Bantam Books.
32. Kandhari, G. (2019). Intermittent Fasting and Its Benefits: A Medical Perspective. International Journal of Nutrition, 11(2), 56-70.
33. Kassam, A. (1994). The Geda System: Timekeeping and Social Order in Oromo Society. Journal of Ethiopian Studies, 22(3), 78-94.
34. Hegazy, A. (2012). The Role of Astronomy in Islamic Civilization. Journal of Islamic History, 19(3), 78-89.
35. John, E. (2010). Christian Calendar: Understanding the Liturgical Year. Crossroad Publishing.
36. Johnson, L. (2009). The Christian Calendar and Astronomical Cycles. Journal of Christian Studies, 17(2), 34-49.
37. Lang, A. (2013). Myth, Ritual, and Religion. Cambridge University Press.
38. McGowan, D. (2014). Saints and Feast Days: A Catholic Perspective. Liturgical Press.
39. Melaku, T. (2010). Fasting practices in Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. Journal of Ethiopian Religious Studies, 5(2), 56-70.
40. Mohammed, M. (2015). Cultural Traditions of Harar: The Role of Islam in Shaping the City’s Identity. Journal of African Studies, 12(1), 34-47.
41. Mulugeta, A. (2011). Geda System and Its Influence on Oromo Cultural Practices. Ethiopian Journal of Social Science, 8(2), 23-39.
42. Oppenheim, A. L. (1977). Ancient Mesopotamia: Portrait of a Dead Civilization. University of Chicago Press.
43. Parker, R. A. (1974). The Calendars of Ancient Egypt. University of Chicago Press.
44. Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
45. Rüpke, J. (2007). The Religion of the Romans. Polity Press.
46. Surah Al-Jumu'ah (62:9): Islamic Context and Interpretative MethodsKugel, J. L. (2007). The God of Old: Inside the Lost World of the Bible. Free Press
47. Solomon, W. (2011). The Role of Saturday in Ethiopian Orthodox Liturgical Practices. Ethiopian Journal of Church History, 7(3), 88-102.
48. Tadesse, H. (2009). The Ethiopian Orthodox Calendar: Historical and Liturgical Perspectives. Ethiopian Journal of Religious Studies, 6(2), 112-127.
49. Talbott, S. (2000). The living universe: Where science and intuition meet. The Nature Institute.
50. Tefera, A. (2012). Daily Life and Worship in Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. Ethiopian Orthodox Studies Journal, 8(1), 33-47.
51. Telushkin, J. (2000). Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History. William Morrow Paperbacks.
52. Williams, J. (2004). The History of the Days of the Week. HarperCollins.