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Monday’s cat is fair of face.
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Tuesday’s cat is full of grace.
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Wednesday’s cat is full of woe.
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Thursday’s cat has far to go.
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Friday’s cat is loving and giving.
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Saturday’s cat works hard for a living.
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But the cat that is born on Sabbath day,
Is bonny and blithe, good and gay.
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I’m sure that most folks that come across this blog are familiar with the nursery rhyme “Monday’s Child” and I had a lot of fun finding some of the cat images, and creating others with AI for this blog. This particular rhyme was one of my favorites when I was a small child, and I love cats. I have cats. Many of my friends have cats. This is for all the cat lovers in my life. I will, however, provide a bit of history about the original “Monday’s Child” poem. ~~Maria Appleby
“Monday’s Child” is an English fortune-telling nursery rhyme that assigns specific personality traits and life paths to a child based on the day of the week they were born. The earliest printed version was published in 1838, but the underlying astrological and fortune-telling folklore dates back to the 1570s.
THE POEM’S LINES
Although variations exist, the most widely known version of the Monday’s Child rhyme goes as follows:
The child who is born on the Sabbath day: Associated with being “bonny and blithe, good and gay” (happy, blessed, and fortunate).
Monday’s child is fair of face: Traditionally viewed as beautiful or handsome.
Tuesday’s child is full of grace: Often thought to be polite, charming, and gentle.
Wednesday’s child is full of woe: Historically associated with a temper or a more somber disposition, though today often referenced as simply thoughtful or moody.
Thursday’s child has far to go: Interpreted as destined for great success, travel, or a life of achievement.
Friday’s child is loving and giving: Seen as kind-hearted, though older versions sometimes considered Friday an unlucky day associated with a mischievous character.
Saturday’s child works hard for a living: Linked to industry, wealth, or a prosperous and long life.
HISTORICAL ORIGINS
16th Century Roots: While the exact rhyme first appeared in print in A.E. Bray’s 1838 book Traditions of Devonshire, the tradition of using days of the week to divine a child’s future is much older. The Elizabethan writer Thomas Nashe recorded similar fortune-telling tales being told to children in Suffolk in the 1570s.
Evolution of Meanings: Over the centuries, the traits associated with specific days varied wildly. For instance, in earlier folklore, a baby born on a Tuesday was sometimes said to grow up to be sinful, and a Wednesday child was described as having a “waspish” temper. In some mid-19th century versions, “Friday” rather than Wednesday was considered the day “full of woe,” likely due to historical Christian superstitions surrounding Friday being an unlucky day
CULTURAL IMPACT
Beyond acting as a tool to help children learn the days of the week, the rhyme has influenced modern pop culture. The most famous example is the character “Wednesday Addams” from The Addams Family, whose name was directly inspired by the line “Wednesday’s child is full of woe”
Copyright © 2009-2026 Maria Appleby for Maria’s Musings: Tales My Heart Tells. All Rights Reserved.
Images for Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday cats are from Free Printable Designs Facebook Group.
Images for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday cats created by ChatGPT and Nano Banana 2.
Featured image created by Jetpack Image Editor.
