Editing Thursday (section)

==Cultural and religious practices==

===Christian holidays===
In the [[Christianity|Christian]] tradition, [[Maundy Thursday]] or Holy Thursday is the Thursday before [[Easter]] — the day on which the [[Last Supper]] occurred. Also known as ''Sheer Thursday'' in the United Kingdom, it is traditionally a day of cleaning and giving out Maundy money there. Holy Thursday is part of [[Holy Week]].

In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], Thursdays are dedicated to the [[Apostles in the New Testament|Apostles]] and [[Saint Nicholas]]. The [[Octoechos (liturgy)|Octoechos]] contains [[hymn]]s on these themes, arranged in an eight-week cycle, that are chanted on Thursdays throughout the year.  At the end of [[Divine Services]] on Thursday, the [[dismissal (liturgy)|dismissal]] begins with the words: "May Christ our True God, through the [[intercession]]s of his most-pure [[Theotokos|Mother]], of the holy, glorious and all-laudable Apostles, of our [[Holy Fathers|Father]] among the [[saint]]s Nicholas, [[Archbishop]] of [[Myra]] in [[Lycia]], the [[Wonder-worker]]…"

[[Ascension of Jesus Christ|Ascension Thursday]] is 40 days after Easter, when Christ ascended into [[Heaven]].

===Hinduism===
In [[Hinduism]], Thursday is associated with the [[Navagraha]] [[Brihaspati]], whom devotees of this graha will fast pray and fast on Thursdays. The day is dedicated to the deity [[Vishnu]] or his [[avatar]]s, such as [[Rama]], [[Parshurama]], [[Narasimha]], [[Satyanarayana Puja|Satyanarayan]], and [[Buddha in Hinduism|Buddha]]. However, Wednesday is dedicated to his avatars of [[Krishna]] and [[Vithoba]]. Devotees usually fast on this day in honor of Vishnu and his avatars, especially [[Vaishnavism|Vaishnava]] Hindus.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://pujayagna.com/blogs/hindu-fasting-days/fasting-in-hinduism | title=Hindu Fasting }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.learnreligions.com/hindu-deities-rituals-for-week-1770073 | title=Weekly Rituals in the Practice of Hinduism }}</ref>

===Islam===
In [[Islam]], Thursdays are one of the days in a week in which Muslims are encouraged to do [[Fasting in Islam#Days of voluntary fasting|voluntary fasting]], the other being Mondays.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fasting on Mondays and Thursdays or on Three Days of each Month? - Islam Question & Answer |url=https://islamqa.info/en/answers/69781/fasting-on-mondays-and-thursdays-or-on-three-days-of-each-month |access-date=2023-02-27 |website=islamqa.info |language=en}}</ref>

===Judaism===

In [[Judaism]], Thursdays are considered auspicious days for fasting. The [[Didache]] warned early [[Christians]] not to fast on Thursdays to avoid [[Judaizers|Judaizing]], and suggested Fridays instead.

In Judaism the [[Torah]] is read in public on Thursday mornings, and special penitential prayers are said on Thursday, unless there is a special occasion for happiness which cancels them.

===Druze faith===
[[File:DrusischerTempel.jpg|thumb|[[Khalwat al-Bayada|Druze Prayer house]] in Daliyat al-Karmel]]
Formal [[Druze]] worship is confined to weekly meeting on Thursday evenings, during which all members of community gather together to discuss local issues before those not initiated into the secrets of the faith (the juhhāl, or the ignorant) are dismissed, and those who are "uqqāl" or "enlightened" (those few initiated in the Druze holy books) remain to read and study their [[Epistles of Wisdom|holy scriptures]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Samy S. Swayd|title=The A to Z of the Druzes|date=2009|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]]|isbn=978-0-8108-6836-6|page=xxxix}}</ref>

===Practices in countries===
{{more citations needed| section|date=January 2008}}
In [[Finland]] and [[Sweden]], [[pea soup]] is traditionally served on Thursdays.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://finland.fi/life-society/pea-soup-tradition-is-weekly-tbt-passion-in-finland/|title=Pea soup tradition is weekly #TBT passion in Finland|access-date=9 February 2021|work=This Is Finland|date=4 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.swedishfood.com/swedish-food-recipes-starters/134-pea-soup|title=Yellow pea soup|access-date=9 February 2021|work=SwedishFood.com}}</ref>

In [[Indonesia]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fsb.ung.ac.id/home/berita/hmj-mengajak-mahasiswa-untuk-memakai-batik-setiap-hari-kamis |title=HMJ Mengajak Mahasiswa Untuk Memakai Batik Setiap Hari Kamis |language=id |trans-title=[[Student society|Department Student Organization]] Invites Students to Wear Batik Every Thursday |last=Kadhapy |first=Moh. |date=20 September 2023 |website=Fakultas Sastra dan Budaya [[State University of Gorontalo|Universitas Negeri Gorontalo]] |publisher=[[Student society|Department Student Organization]] of Indonesian Language and Art Department of Art and Culture Faculty of [[State University of Gorontalo]] (HMJ BSI FSB UNG) |access-date=23 March 2024}}</ref> and [[Malaysia]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.liputan6.com/lifestyle/read/4696719/parlemen-malaysia-jadikan-setiap-kamis-sebagai-hari-batik |title=Parlemen Malaysia Jadikan Setiap Kamis Sebagai Hari Batik |language=id |trans-title=[[Malaysian Parliament]] Makes Every Thursday Batik Day |last=Mutiah |first=Dinny |date=29 October 2021 |website=Liputan 6 Lifestyle |publisher=[[Liputan 6]] |access-date=23 March 2024}}</ref> in a week, [[batik]] clothing is usually worn on Thursday, especially at education and civil servant institutions.

For [[Thai Buddhist]], Thursday is considered the "Teacher's Day", and it is believed that one should begin one's education on this auspicious day. Thai students still pay homages to their teachers in specific ceremony always held on a selected Thursday. And graduation day in Thai universities, which can vary depending on each university, almost always will be held on a Thursday.

In the [[Thai solar calendar]], the colour associated with Thursday is orange.<ref>Segaller, Denis (2005). ''Thai Ways''. Bangkok: Silkworm Books. {{ISBN|9781628400083}}.</ref>

In the United States, [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving Day]] is an annual festival celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.

===Conventional weekly events===
In Australia, most cinema movies premieres are held on Thursdays. Also, most Australians are paid on a Thursday, either weekly or fortnightly. Shopping malls see this as an opportunity to open longer than usual, generally until 9 pm, as most pay cheques are cleared by Thursday morning.

In Norway, Thursday has also traditionally been the day when most shops and malls are open later than on the other weekdays, although the majority of shopping malls now are open until 8 pm or 9 pm every weekday.

In the USSR of the 1970s and 1980s Thursday was the "Fish Day" ({{langx|ru|[[:ru:Рыбный день|Рыбный день]]}}, ''Rybny den''), when the nation's [[foodservice]] establishments were supposed to serve fish (rather than meat) dishes.<ref>{{citation
|first1=Irina |last1=Petrosian|first2= David |last2=Underwood|year=2006
|isbn=1-4116-9865-7|title=Armenian Food: Fact, Fiction & Folklore|series=Armenian Research Center collection
|edition=2|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=0oXYX9Qzx9oC&pg=PA115
|page=115}}</ref>

For college and university students, Thursday is sometimes referred to as the new Friday. There are often fewer or sometimes no classes on Fridays and more opportunities to hold parties on Thursday night and sleep in on Friday. As a consequence, some call Thursday "thirstday" or "thirsty Thursday".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/06/education/edlife/hafner.html?_r=1 | work=The New York Times | title=How Thursday Became the New Friday | first=Katie | last=Hafner | date=6 November 2005 | access-date=28 March 2010}}</ref>

===Elections in the United Kingdom===
In the [[United Kingdom]], all [[general election]]s since 1935 have been held on a Thursday, and this has become a tradition, although not a requirement of the law — which merely states that an election may be held on any day "except Saturdays, Sundays, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Good Friday, bank holidays in any part of the United Kingdom and any day appointed for public thanksgiving and mourning".<ref>{{cite act|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1983/2/schedule/1/part/I/1996-11-01|title=Representation of the People Act 1983|date=1 November 1996|access-date=3 November 2016|articletype=Schedule|article=1}}</ref>

Additionally, local elections are usually held on the first Thursday in May.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Understand how your council works |url=https://www.gov.uk/understand-how-your-council-works/local-councillors-and-elections |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=General elections - UK Parliament |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/elections-and-voting/general/}}</ref>

The [[Electoral Administration Act 2006]] removed [[Maundy Thursday]] as an excluded day on the electoral timetable, therefore an election can now be held on Maundy Thursday; prior to this elections were sometimes scheduled on the Tuesday before as an alternative.