Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative), Religious Society of Friends

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Guide to Quaker Calendar Names

The common names of days of the week and months of the year,such as "Sunday" and "January", were adopted in honor of pagan deities. Friends have traditionally rejected such vocabulary and have called the days of the week and the months of the year by their numbers, as shown below:

First Month - January	First Day - Sunday
Second Month - February	Second Day - Monday
Third Month - March	Third Day - Tuesday
Fourth Month - April	Fourth Day - Wednesday
Fifth Month - May	Fifth Day - Thursday
Sixth Month - June	Sixth Day - Friday
Seventh Month - July	Seventh Day - Saturday
Eighth Month - August
Ninth Month - September
Tenth Month - October
Eleventh Month - November
Twelfth Month - December

In the 20th Century, many Friends began accepting use of the common date names, feeling that any pagan meaning has been forgotten. The numerical names continue to be used, however, in many documents and more formal situations.