Wednesday

Wednesday is considered either the third or the fourth day of the week, between Tuesday and Thursday. The name comes from the Old English Wodnesdæg meaning the day of the Germanic god Woden, also known by the Norse variant Odin in Modern English. The astrological sign of the planet Mercury represents Wednesday -- Dies Mercurii to the Romans, with similar names in Latin-derived languages. In English, this became "Woden's Day", since the Roman god Mercury was identified with Woden in northern Europe.

Named days

• Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, occurs forty days before Easter not counting Sundays.
• Spy Wednesday is an old name given to the Wednesday immediately preceding Easter, in allusion to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot. This story is the pericope from the Gospel read at Mass in the Roman Catholic tradition on this day.