Tuesday 4 February 2020

maṅgala or interpretatio romana

Also going by the name Lohit (meaning red) the titular name (मङ्गल) occurs in ancient Hindu texts and identifies Mars, which in that pantheon is also the god of war.
As in the Greco-Roman tradition where Tuesday is dedicated to the Red Planet (dies Martis / ἡμέρα Ἄρεως—that is Ares’ Day) reflecting directly in most Romance languages with the English designation likewise deriving from Tiwesdæg, the day of the week sacred to the Norse god Týr (Tiwaz, ᛏ), understood as Mars Thingsus (the Thing being the legislative seat of Germanic communities though there’s much danger in forcing the equivalence) and the counterpart deity of combat, so too is the word for Tuesday on the Hindu calendar, Mangalavara, derived from the same godly attributes. The Korean (화요일) and similarly the Japanese (火曜日) words for Tuesday also translate to Mars’ day. Though far from a universal association, one does wonder what the prevalence and the astrological connection came from.