
I’m on a mission to blog 30 days nonstop. Today is number 20. It’s been REAL!
Saturday has always been my favorite day. Both my parents worked for much of my childhood, but on Saturday, they became like kids. My father would always turn up the radio or record player on Saturday mornings and he’d swing my mother or any of us he could reach. We’d sway with him to the music until he heard the bacon sizzle then he’d hurry to the stove where he was preparing a big breakfast. While we ate, he’d ask what we wanted to do. Saturday was a day of going wherever we wanted and being free. Following is a brief history of what Saturdays have meant to me in varying stages of life. This history is punctuated unconventionally.
Childhood
NO SCHOOL, sleep late, visit area family, see sights
Teen-age years
NO SCHOOL, sleep late, clean house, go to movie with friends, go on a date with a boy
Young married woman
NO SCHOOL, sleep late, brunch with hubby, clean house (if I wanted to), do something fun with hubby like a car show, etc.
Young mother
Get up early, make breakfast for kids, struggle to entertain kids all day, wash and iron kids’ clothes, make lunch for kids, take them to activities, lessons, practices, coordinate drop-off and pickup (please don’t be offended that I say kids and not children)
Climbing the Corporate Ladder
Get up early, finish the extra work I brought home before girls get up, be on call for work emergencies, schedule time to get my hair done, think of fun ways to entertain adolescents, wash clothes but iron only the ones that have deep wrinkles, buy foods kids can make for themselves, take them to activities, lessons, practices, coordinate drop-off and pickup
Empty Nester
Freedom to lie in bed checking email, finish extra work I brought home, be on call for work emergencies, schedule time to get my hair done, think of fun ways to entertain myself
Retired Woman
Get up early, breakfast with hubby, clean house (if I want to), write, do something with hubby or friends, write
Happy Saturday to all my friends and readers. No matter what stage you find yourself in, Enjoy this precious day!
Saturday Tidbits (from Wikipedia)
Regional customs
- In most countries, Saturday is a weekend day (see workweek).
- In Australia, elections must take place on a Saturday.[14]
- In Israel, Saturday is the official day of rest,[15] on which all government offices and most businesses, including some public transportation, are closed.
- In Nepal, Saturday is the last day of the week and is the only official weekly holiday.[16]
- In New Zealand, Saturday is the only day on which elections can be held.[17]
- In Sweden and Norway, Saturday has usually been the only day of the week when especially younger children are allowed to eat sweets, lördagsgodis in Swedish and lørdagsgodtteri in Norwegian. This tradition was introduced to limit dental caries, utilizing the results of the infamous Vipeholm experiments between 1945–1955.[18] (See festivities in Sweden.)
- In the U.S. state of Louisiana, Saturday is the preferred election day.[19]
Slang
- The amount of criminal activities that take place on Saturday nights has led to the expression, “Saturday night special“, a pejorative slang term used in the United States and Canada for any inexpensive handgun.
Folklore
- Ibn folklore, Saturday was the preferred day to hunt vampires, because on that day they were restricted to their coffins. It was also believed in the Balkans that someone born on Saturday could see a vampire when it was otherwise invisible, and that such people were particularly apt to become vampire hunters.[20][21]
Television
- Saturday morning is a notable television time block aimed at children while generally airing animated cartoons, although in the United States this has generally been phased out due to American television regulations requiring educational content be aired, along with Saturday outside activities for children[citation needed]
- Saturday night is also a popular time slot for comedy shows on television in the US. The most famous of these is Saturday Night Live, a sketch comedy show that has aired on NBC nearly every week since 1975.
- Saturday evenings are a time slot in the United Kingdom, devoted to popular TV shows such as Strictly Come Dancing, The Voice UK, and The X Factor. Many family game shows, for example Total Wipeout and Hole in the Wall, also air on a Saturday evening.
Sports
- In the United Kingdom, Saturday is the day most domestic fixtures of football are played.
- In the United States, most regular season college football games are played on Saturday. Saturday is also a common day for college basketball games.
An interesting progression of Saturdays through life!
Thanks, Jan!
Hi Linda–I really enjoyed your blog post about the theme of what you do on Saturdays. It is so true how life changes from when you’re a child, a parent, and an empty nester. I found your tidbits about how other culture view Saturdays fascinating. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Thanks, Linnea! It means so much when other writers like my work!🤗
Happy Saturday!
Thanks, Karen. Happy Saturday to you too!
What a fascinating post, Linda! I wish our election days were on Saturdays like in Australia! For me, Saturdays are all about running errands, exercising, and working my extra job. Thanks for sharing this info with us.
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
Thanks, Yvette!🤗🤗🤗