In the United States Monday is the beginning of the workweek;it is the day most Americans like least.It is not surprising that day they like most is Saturday.Saturday is the end of the workweek;it is the beginning of the weekend.Life is different on the weekend.Most Americans take care of their house,car,or garden.They get up late in the morning.They enjoy the feeling that the time seems to move more slowly.The week is for things you have to do,the weekend is for things you want to do.Some people may get in a car driving in the country.They like to take part in a sports activity outdoors.And on Saturday night they might go to a public eating place or movie.
The idea of the weekend is a recent invention.In 1870 wealthy people began to speak of spending weekends in the country visiting friends.For most people,however,the workday was six-day long.It ended on Saturday.Automobile maker Henry Ford was the first major employer in the United States to establish a workweek of five days.He did that in 1926.Henry Ford thought that if the working people had more free time they would spend more money and it was something good for the economy.By 1940 it had become common for most Americans to work 8 hours a day a week.Today the lives of most Americans are organized that way:5 days of work or school followed by 2 days of rest.For many people Saturday night is the highpoint of the weekend and the week.It is the night for going out or having fun.
Anything and everything can happen on Saturday night.People go dancing,visiting friends and having parties.They drunk too much alcohol.They get killed or kill other people.They sleep,watch television,and sometimes fall in love.People do these things on other nights of the week too,but they do them more often and with more emotion and purpose on Saturday night.On Saturday night movie theatres sell more tickets.It is also the biggest night for places that sell alcoholic drinks.That is one reason why Saturday night witnesses most murders,fights and deadly car accidents.In a town in Indiana there is a Saturday night custom called“cruising”.Cruising means to spend the evening driving your car slowly up and down the towns main street.People who are cruising talk from car to car.They exchange greetings,jokes and friendly insults.Cruising is most popular in small towns where there is not much else to do.
Many people spend the Saturday night at home with friends.They have dinner together.Perhaps they watch a movie on a video cassette recorder.Other people go on a date.People on a date might go to a public concert,yet they only talk to each other.Is there anything people do not like about the weekend?A study of 1000 Americans found that half would gladly trade a paid workday for an extra day of free time.The only thing wrong with the weekend,they think,is that it does not last longer.