Rest Days; A Sociological Study 93 



that the divisions of the month begin hkewise with the new 

 moon, and the first day of the month is at the same time the 

 first day of the first week in the month, the last day of the 

 month is the last day of the last week. Thus the Yoruba week 

 consists of 5 days, and six of them are supposed to make a lunar 

 month. As a matter of fact, since the first day of the first week 

 always commences with the appearance of the new moon, the 

 month really contains five weeks of 5 days' duration, and one of 

 four days and a-half, approximately. The Yoruba tribes, choos- 

 ing thirty as the number to be divided, have been obliged to de- 

 duct some twelve hours from the last 5-day week in order to 

 make six of these periods agree with the lunar (synodic) 

 month.^^ Again, the Tshi tribes of the Gold Coast, having 

 chosen 7-day weeks, find it necessary to begin them at different 

 hours of the day. Consequently some of their periods, termed 

 n'ehsun, " It is seven," may have eight days and six nights, others 

 the reverse, and others seven days and nights, with a fractional 

 part of a day or night. ^^ The same difficulties were experienced 

 by the Ahantas of the western districts of the Gold Coast who 

 divide the lunar month into three periods, two of ten days' dura- 

 tion, and the third lasting until the next new moon appears, that 

 is, for about nine days and a half.'"** The Sofalese of east 

 Africa must have had the same system, for they are said to have 

 divided the month into three periods of 10 days each, the first 

 day of the first week being the festival of the new moon.^^ The 



^" Ellis, Yoniba-S peaking Peoples, 143 sq. The Benin tribes are said to 

 employ the same method of reckoning. 



^ Idem, Tshi-S peaking Peoples, 215 sq. The Ga tribes have an exactly 

 similar mode of measuring time, though their names for the days of the 

 week are not the same as those used by the Tshi. With both the Tshis and 

 Gas the full moon marks the commencement of the third week of 7^ days, 

 and with the Yorubas, the commencement of the fourth week of 5 days, 

 in each case marking the lapse of half a month. 



^* Idem, Yoruba-S peaking Peoples, 144. The first period, called adai, is 

 considered lucky; the second, called ajamfo, unlucky; adim, the third 

 period, bears a neutral character (John Beecham, Ashatitee and the Gold 

 Coast. London, 1841, p. 187. 



^^ De Faria, in Astley's Voyages aiid Travels, iii. 397. 



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