Why is it so hard to find a calendar that starts the week on a Monday, not a Sunday? It can't just be my family who gets outraged by this. | Notes and Queries (2024)

Why is it so hard to find a calendar that starts the week on a Monday, not a Sunday? It can't just be my family who gets outraged by this.

Samantha Joly, London, UK

• It certainly seems like a minor thing to get "outraged" about. Your query does not state where you are writing from but most European calendars start the week on Monday while North American calenders on Sunday.

  David Null, Claremont, California, US

• Wouldn't be so sure about that, my family seem to be suppressing their anger quite nicely, thank you very much.

  Seán Doherty, Derry, Ireland

• Have you ever thought about making your own? I use a B6 loose-leaf diary in my bag and an A5 diary at home. Commercial inserts overpriced and poorly designed, so I make my own on my printer using Excel. The B6 takes just 13 sheets of A4 for the whole year, while the A5 takes 26 sheets. Many photo magazines give calendar elements away for free.

  VicTheBrit, Nara, Japan

• I can see why you and your family are so "outraged". Here's my solution: cut all the Sundays off the left of the calendar and paste them onto the right side of it. I hope this brings peace to your devastated and bitterly disappointed family.

  steven beerco*ck, Enna Italy

• I understand your "outrage". It is hard to plan your week on a calender that starts on Sunday (I am very absent-minded and I can't focus on something starting on a damn SUNDAY!)

  Amelia Rocque, Birmingham

• Search on the web for something like "calendar 2011". There are sites which let you make your own, including specifying country, first day of week and incorporating public holidays.

  Alan Worrow, London, UK

• Because Sunday is the first day of the week. It has been thus since before the birth of Christianity, though one hopes that's not why you are so unhappy.

  Jonathan Hall, Rutherford, New Jersey USA

• Both MS Outlook and Google calendars allow you to set the start day.My 2011 Wall calendar in the home office starts the weeks on Monday.The calendar in my 18 month Moleskine desk diary starts the weeks on Monday.My pocket memo diary is the same.I checked our kitchen wall calendar - Each month starts on the first, irrespective of what day of the week it is.There are no other calendars in our house, so maybe we have cornered the market in Calendars that start on Monday!

  Derek Elder, Glasgow but live in Edinburgh UK

• GO BACK TO ELEMETARY SCHOOL, AND TAKE YOUR FAMILY WITH YOU!! SUNDAY IS THE FISRT DAY OF THE WEEK, AND SATURDAY IS THE LAST DAY!! DUH, EVEN MY 4 YEAR OLD NEPHEW COULD HAVE TOLD YOU THAT.

  Chris, Dallas, Texas USA

• Technically, Sunday is the first day of the week because it always has been. However, this is based on the concept that the seventh day is a day of rest and the original sabbath in the Judaeo Christian system was Saturday, ie. the end of the week. Indeed, the bible does say that Jesus rose on the first day of the week, which was Easter Sunday.Now, of course, the Sabbath for most of the western world has transferred to Sunday, so it follows that the week should now run from Monday to Sunday instead of Sunday to Saturday.Most people probably do now regard Monday to be the first day of the week, but tradition dictates that it should more correctly still be Sunday and diaries and calendars tend to reflect that.

  Brian Steele, Hove

• @Chris:Do they cover spelling in that school?

  Shaun Tooze, Barrow-in-Furness UK

• The real question here is: why (oh, why), when the Christian churches moved the Sabbath to Sunday so many centuries ago, do so many modern-day American (and some British) Christians still insist on putting Sunday as the first day of the week on their calendars? Even in 'old-world' Europe, Monday is the first day.

  James Lewis, LFPG, Wales

• Everybody banging on about the Sabath being Sunday the bible saying a day of rest. Jesus rose on the first day this being a sunday so therefore Sunday is the first day. Saturday the last why o why are they all going on about religion we are talking calendars these were around before the bible early Roman calendars and Greek calendars were in circulation.

  George Bidgway, Lincoln UK

• I now buy a very boring but practical calendar from a local office supplies company. I prefer my calendar week to end with a Saturday and Sunday as that is the end of the working week and appeals to my sense of orderliness. Up until a few years ago this was the norm. Whenever I see a calendar ending on a Saturday I can't visualise a two day weekend it always looks dissected and chopped up. Weird? Maybe.

  Maryanne Pearce, Rotorua New Zealand