What's the first day of the week?

Are you a fan of Sunday fun-day, do you suffer from the Monday blues?

Debate has been raging in Darwin over which day should be the official start to the week after confusion from a Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster.

Angeline Prasad — who considers Monday to be the beginning of the week — told Adam Steer on ABC Radio Darwin that people could find her "start of the week" reports confusing.

"There is absolutely a debate on this topic. Here in the bureau we are all at loggerheads over it."

Ms Prasad says she regularly confuses bureau colleagues when she suggests Monday is the start of a new week. ( ABC Darwin: Jacqueline Breen )

"There are definitely implications regarding the weather if we have differing beginnings of the week — especially if we are all tweeting different weather reports saying, 'The new week' ... I'd hate to confuse anyone."

Ms Prasad's belief was the practice back home in Fiji.

According to Emeritus Professor Roland Sussex from the University of Queensland's School of Language and Cultures, the true "first day" of the week varies depending on where in the world you call home.

"Monday is the official international standard ... however, the debate is made more confusing due to world religions and different calendars dependent on cultures," Professor Sussex said.



Who votes for Sunday?

Professor Sussex said those who considered Sunday to be the start of the week were likely to have traditional values which aligned with Jewish and Christian beliefs.

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"For the Jews who write the Bible, Sabbath was celebrated on Saturday meaning Sunday was the beginning of the week," he said.

The United States, Canada, most of South America, China, Japan and the Philippines officially consider Sunday to start the week ahead.

Some ABC Radio listeners agreed:

"The sun rises at the beginning of the day, therefore 'Sun-day' should be the beginning of the week." - Carl, Humpty Doo

"Think of it this way: If Sunday is the first day, and Monday the first work day, then you start the week with a day off." - Dembo

"Sunday is the first day of the week because according to so many of our religions, Christianity and the Jewish sabbath, this is the day of rest. I start my week there." - Phil

"Sunday is the first day of the calendar week, Monday is the first day of the working week, mixing it up would just cause historical chaos." - Dave, Darwin

Hands up for Monday

Since the world of locomotives, industrialisation and trade the concept of the calendar changed when in 1946 the International Organisation for Standardisation (IOS) was developed.

"Monday is the official international standard," Professor Sussex said.

"Countries that follow the IOS include Europe, the Middle East, Russia and New Zealand."

Education consultant and language researcher Sue-Belinda Meehan said Monday pushed Sunday out of its pole position once business flourished around the world.

Many business-minded listeners defended Monday:

"Simply put, Monday is when most things get into gear, so we as people respond and plan around that day."

"Monday is the stock standard starting week. That's how business works, that's how calendars are set up. That's just the way the world works." - Peter, Virginia

"In the flight industry, Monday is set as the first day for the departures timetable, Sunday is the seventh, so I work off that timetable." - Jack, Larrakeyah

"Think about the word 'weekend', wouldn't that suggest that Sunday signifies the end?" - Julie, Coconut Grove

However, Professor Sussex said the USA was the exception to the IOS.

"America has an enormous influence on business across the world, and yet they call Sunday the beginning, so there really is no set rule."

Cultures complicate the calendar

Professor Sussex said between time zones, religions and cultural practices, the weekend and weekdays as we know were varied around the world.

"A lot of Muslim cultures consider Saturday to be the beginning of their week," he said.

"Friday is considered the day of prayer and rest, meaning Saturday is the new working week."

Professor Sussex says travelling "can be a headache" when trying to decipher each culture's expectations of days of the week. ( AP: Wong Maye-E )

To confuse the situation further, Professor Sussex explained that some culture's calendars reset the entire year as we in Australia may read it.

"The modern Iranian society has a calendar all of their own and technically their year starts in March," he said.

"It's a very complicated calendar however if you took the time to study it you would find it's more accurate to our own [solar] calendar."

So, where does Australia fit?

Professor Sussex said there was no correct or incorrect choice to start the week.

"Officially Australia considers Monday to be the beginning of the week in accordance with the IOS, but plenty of us in Australia also dabble with Sunday,"

"We are uncertain ... there is no rest for the wicked or the godly."

Ms Meehan said those who lived in the Pacific Islands will differ in opinion, which explained Ms Prasad's stance.

"Being that Ms Prasad is originally from Fiji, Monday would be considered the first day of the week," she said.

"Since Missionaries arrived, it swapped to Sunday in Fiji ... but now I believe that has changed to again suit the IOS system."