Have you ever wondered whether the day you were born reflects the personalities, characteristics, and fortunes that were held for you?
Can a rhyme, supposedly created to teach children the days of the week in the 1800s, hold any truths about our lives today? Do you believe in its implications?
I am a Wednesday’s child; does this mean I am full of woe?
What is the Wednesday’s Child Is Full of Woe Nursery Rhyme?
The children’s traditional nursery rhyme is supposed to tell a child’s character or future from their day of birth and to help young children remember the seven days of the week. The rhyme has also been published as a song.
Monday’s child is fair of face,
Tuesday’s child is full of grace.
Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Thursday’s child has far to go.
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for a living.
But the child that is born on Sabbath day,
Is bonny and blithe, good and gay.
Do you think Wednesday Addams from the Addams Family TV series was called Wednesday due to her character traits?
Who wrote Wednesday’s child is full of woe?
The Monday’s Child traditional nursery rhyme was first recorded in A. E. Bray’s Traditions of Devonshire in 1838 and was collected by James Orchard Halliwell in the mid-19th century. The tradition of fortune-telling by the days of birth is much older. Thomas Nashe recalled stories told to children in Suffolk in the 1570s
Why is Wednesday’s child is full of woe?
The saying ‘Wednesday’s child is full of woe’ simply refers to an old English poem that was used to make people believe that a child born on a Wednesday would have a life full of bad luck and trouble.
Wednesday’s child is full of woe poem meaning?
The use of the word woe in the English dictionary today is an expression of grief, regret, distress, etc. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was more an expression of deep concern and heavy responsibilities, and it has been suggested that “woebegone” might be more accurate, but “woebegone” wouldn’t rhyme; instead, we get “Wednesday’s child is full of woe.“
I am a Wednesday’s Child; am I full of woe?
I can remember carefree days playing as a child. By my late teens, I had an air of carefree, I don’t care philosophy about me. I enjoyed life, at times probably too much. Then, I remember noticing the world around me and becoming more aware of the things that life can throw at people.
A combination of moving out of home and learning that bills needed to be paid and my parents moving back to my home town left me with the feeling of overwhelming responsibilities. Make sure you earn enough to pay the weekly/monthly bills and enjoy the job that allows you to earn that money. With my parents moving away, I suddenly realised that I was alone; whilst I had What The Dad Said at my side, I had no family nearby (300 miles might as well be the other side of the world when you need a cuppa with your mum).
Is life what you make of it? Or is it predetermined, and we must ride out the storms as they appear on the horizon? I hope that just because I was born on a Wednesday doesn’t mean my life will be full of woe (well, no more than anyone else gets).
So, do you think your child’s personality could be influenced by the day of the week they were born?
While it’s certainly interesting to think about the idea of astrological influences and how the day of the week they were born might impact our personalities and fortunes, it’s important to remember that these beliefs are not scientifically proven. The rhyme used to teach children the days of the week may have cultural significance, but it’s unlikely to have any real superstition or predictive power for an individual’s life.
Ultimately, we each have the power to shape our own destinies through our choices and actions, rather than being bound by the day of the week on which we were born. It can be fun to explore these ideas and see if there are any patterns or correlations in our own lives, but it’s important to take them with a grain of salt and not put too much stock in them.
Did the nursery rhyme held true for you?
Are you born on a Wednesday and full of woe?
