Day 4: Monday's Child...

Today, I went to Korle Bu Hospital to sort out the final bits for my placement starting next week (work shadowing in Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Cardiology—excited!). Consequently, I don’t really have anything exciting to report today. But I promise that you’ll love tomorrow’s post!

So until then, here’s a little lesson in...

-- Day Names --

Monday's child is fair of face, 

Tuesday's child is full of grace, 

Wednesday's child is full of woe, 

Thursday's child has far to go, 

Friday's child is loving and giving, 

Saturday's child works hard for a living, 

But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day

Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.

Most people know the version of the nursery rhyme above, but in Ghana, children are often called by their Day Name- a name that depends on the day of the week on which a child is born.

	GIRLS	BOYS
MONDAY	Adjoa (pronounced AH-joa)	Kojo (koh-JO)
TUESDAY	Abena (ah-beh-nah)	Kwabena (Kwah-beh-nah)
WEDNESDAY	Akua (ay-KWI-ah)	Kweku (Kway-ku)
THURSDAY	Yaa (Yaa)	Yaw (Yow)
FRIDAY	Afia (AY-fia)	Kofi (koh-fi)
SATURDAY	Ama (ah-ma)	Kwame (Kwar-mi)
SUNDAY	Akosua (ah-KOH-sia)	Kwesi (Kway-si)

A child’s day name doesn’t necessarily replace their given name- it’s usually just used in the home. There are also several alternative day names depending on the part of Ghana you're from- these are just the most common ones. There are even names given to children depending on whether they are the first son, or the oldest daughter, or the second sister. But that’s for another day.