Saturday
The day of Saturn in Western magic, the Shabbat of Jewish life with its Havdalah, and Shani's day in India.
Saturday is the one weekday whose English name is Roman, not Germanic: the day of Saturn, the slowest and most distant of the classical planets. The Jewish Sabbath falls on it, and Hindus keep it for Shani, the planet Saturn. In each case the day is about limits, endings and rest.
Saturn in the Western tradition
Saturn, the Roman god of time and the harvest, gave his name to the planet and the day. In astrological tradition he governs boundaries, age, endurance, loss and the earth, with lead, black and dark blue as correspondences. Occult handbooks treat Saturday as a day for banishing, binding, protection of the house and anything that has to do with endings. Alchemists linked Saturn to lead and to the dark first stage of the work. Medieval astrology called Saturn the greater malefic, and the later view is more mixed, holding that he also rewards patience.
Shabbat and Havdalah
In Judaism Saturday is Shabbat, the day of rest, which begins at sunset on Friday and ends after dark on Saturday. It is marked with lamps, wine, bread and a ban on work. The rite that ends it is Havdalah, or separation, in which a braided candle is lit, wine is blessed, and a box of fragrant spices, often cloves or myrtle, is passed round to be smelled. A tradition says the spices comfort the soul as the extra Sabbath soul departs. The rite is a religious observance, not a charm, and Jewish custom also records folk beliefs, for instance about the light of the candle. Scholars have noted that the term sabbath was later borrowed for the supposed gathering of witches in the early modern witch trials, a label that said more about the accusers than about any real meeting.
Shanivar and Shani
In Hindu astrology Saturday is Shanivar, ruled by Shani, who stands for justice, delay and the consequences of action. Many people dread the period known as sade sati, a seven-and-a-half year phase of Saturn's transit, and keep Saturday fasts, light sesame-oil lamps, give black sesame, iron and black cloth, and worship Hanuman, said to have protection from Shani. The Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra is a well-known centre and is famous for its houses without doors.
Born on a Saturday
The Akan name for a boy born on Saturday is Kwame, and for a girl Ama. In Burma the Saturday-born belong to the naga, or dragon, and in Thailand the colour is purple. In the English rhyme Saturday's child works hard for a living.
Entries tied to it
Also part of it, and being written: Saturday (The day and its names.), Shabbat (The Jewish day of rest.), Havdalah (The rite that closes Shabbat.), Shani (Saturn in Hindu belief.), Shani Shingnapur (The temple of Shani and its doorless village.).
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Customs differ by community and family, and are described here as tradition, not instruction, and with no claim that they work. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.