http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weekend
The weekend is a part of the week lasting one or two days in which most paid workers do not work. This is a time for leisure and recreation, and/or for religious activities.
In Christian countries the weekend typically covers Saturday and Sunday, while in Muslim countries it is Friday and Saturday, or Thursday and Friday. In Israel the weekend is typically Friday afternoon and Saturday.
The notion of a weekly rest is ancient. The Jewish Sabbath, known as Shabbat, is from sunset Friday to nighttime on Saturday; the Muslim Sabbath is on Friday.
The weekend as a time of leisure is a rather modern invention. Before the industrial revolution the wage labour force was a minuscule fraction of the population. The day of the Sabbath was viewed as one dedicated to God, not one of relaxation, and strict prohibitions on permissible activities were enacted.
The French Revolutionary Calendar allowed decadi, one out of ten days, as a leisure day.
The early industrial period in Europe saw a six-day work week with only Sunday off, but some workers had no days off at all. Only the labour and workers rights movements and campaigns by trade unionists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century saw a five day work week introduced as Saturday became a day of rest and relaxation. This movement began in England. In several languages, the word for weekend is an adaptation of weekend or the term "English week" is used for the five-days work week.
In many ways this has been a great boon to the economy as it led to a great increase in consumer spending on Saturdays as a restaurant visit, motorcar journeys, or a trip to the movies became standard Saturday fare. Many jurisdictions continued to enforce strict Lord's Day laws on Sunday which meant that most recreations, such as stores and theatres, were forced to close on that day. These regulations began to weaken in the years after the Second World War and Sunday also became a day of recreation for many.
In recent years the weekend has begun to fade in importance. While most people work a five day work week, when the hardware costs outweigh human costs, the competitiveness of the modern economy means that leaving a factory idle for two days or an office unmanned is of too great expense. Thus many workers regularly work on weekends. Since this is seen as a greater burden most employers pay extra for weekend work, either by agreement or by legislation.
For most students, the weekend means that they are free for two days, as schools usually do not have classes on the weekend. However, some boarding school students are required to attend classes for at least a half day on Saturdays. Some colleges also offer courses that meet on Saturday and Sunday.
