Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 3, 1892.djvu/232

224 planets it is very difficult to say; but we know that the notion of lucky and unlucky days has been tenaciously held by the common people in the different countries of Europe, and still retains its hold in many places.

It will be observed that the last column of the above list gives a certain number connected with each day-name, and that these do not follow the order in which the days occur in the week, except in the case of the first. These numbers have, however, great importance in the practical part of san-àndro, as will be seen.

1. The San-àndro of the Dead, or Direct San-àndro.—This had reference apparently exclusively to burials; if a corpse was to be buried, it would probably be done on a "good" day (Sunday, Tuesday, or Wednesday); but the proceedings depended greatly on the numbers characteristic of the san-àndro of that day. If, for instance, it was on Wednesday, the special number of which is 6, they had to stop six times with the bier on the way to the grave, throw down a stone at each stopping-place, and carry the corpse six times round the grave before they buried it. And so, mutatis mutandis, with the other days, according to their special numbers.

It is impossible, with our present knowledge, to say why these different days acquired their special numbers, as they do not follow the order either of the six or the brightness of the respective planets. The Moon-day, it will be seen, is not No. 2 on the list, as might have been supposed, but No. 5; and the Venus-day is not No. 3, but No. 7.

2. The San-àndro of the Living, or the San-àndro which was counted "Backwards".—This appears to have had reference only to sacrifices; in offering these, the invocations made by the priest referred, not to the san-àndro of the day the offering was made, but to that of "the day before yesterday", in other words, two days backward. Offerings could only be brought on the three "good" days; but the sikìdy could be performed on any day.

3. The Character of the Seven Days of the Week in rela-