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Some countries do adopt weeks starting in Monday, whereas the weekend (Saturday followed by Sunday) is at the end of the week, making Sunday the seventh day.

In Brazil, where I am from, weeks start at Sunday and, since working days (monday-friday) are called as ordinary numbers (segunda-feira/second 'feria' (latim)/monday, etc), it would not make sense to adopt a week starting in monday (since monday is called 'second').

However it only exists in Portuguese speaking countries (correct me if I am wrong). In many countries, weeks start in monday and it makes perfect sense for them.

Trying to explain what Sabbath is to a Christian friend from Indonesia (I am Seventh-Day Adventist), I wasn't understood when I said that Sabbath is celebrated on Saturday, the seventh day. "But the seventh day is Sunday", I heard.

How does Sabbath get celebrated on countries where week starts in Monday? How to explain Sabbath as seventh day to someone from these countries?

Jefrey Sobreira Santos
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  • Welcome to MiYodeya and thanks for this first question. Note that in Hebrew Sunday is also called the first day, Monday the second day, etc. Therefore Sabbat falls on the seventh day. – mbloch Aug 14 '18 at 21:39
  • To give a historical context to your friend, please see the Council of Laodicea. – Kazi bácsi Aug 14 '18 at 22:19
  • The Hebrew dates of Yom Rishon (First Day), Yom Sheini (Second Day), etc. are not dependent on secular calendars and therefore even in places where the week "begins" on Monday (such as in France) the Jewish Sabbath would still be held on Saturday, because we determine the Sabbath based on our calendar, not theirs. It just so happens that in many places our week and theirs is the same, and this has everything to do with Christianity in Europe, I believe. – ezra Aug 15 '18 at 07:22

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While you correctly observe that any group of people can decide to follow a calendar with any arbitrary start day, or indeed any arbitrary number of days per week, in Judaism the Sabbath is determined following the eponymous Jewish calendar such that in the vast, vast majority of cases the Sabbath begins at sundown on the day locally known as "Friday" and continuing for about 24 hours henceforth.

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