<P> In Roman Catholic liturgy, Sunday begins on Saturday evening . The evening Mass on Saturday is liturgically a full Sunday Mass and fulfills the obligation of Sunday Mass attendance, and Vespers (evening prayer) on Saturday night is liturgically "first Vespers" of the Sunday . The same evening anticipation applies to other major solemnities and feasts, and is an echo of the Jewish practice of starting the new day at sunset . Those who work in the medical field, in law enforcement, and soldiers in a war zone are dispensed from the usual obligation to attend Church on Sunday . They are encouraged to combine their work with attending religious services if possible . </P> <P> In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Sunday begins at the Little Entrance of Vespers (or All - Night Vigil) on Saturday evening and runs until "Vouchsafe, O Lord" (after the "prokeimenon") of Vespers on Sunday night . During this time, the dismissal at all services begin with the words, "May Christ our True God, who rose from the dead ..." Anyone who wishes to receive Holy Communion at Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning is required to attend Vespers the night before (see Eucharistic discipline). Among Orthodox Christians, Sunday is considered to be a "Little Pascha" (Easter), and because of the Paschal joy, the making of prostrations is forbidden, except in certain circumstances . Leisure activities and idleness, being secular and offensive to Christ as it is time - wasting, is prohibited . </P> <P> Some languages lack separate words for "Saturday" and "Sabbath" (e.g. Italian, Portuguese). Outside the English - speaking world, Sabbath as a word, if it is used, refers to the Saturday (or the specific Jewish practices on it); Sunday is called the Lord's Day e.g. in Romance languages and Modern Greek . On the other hand, English - speaking Christians often refer to the Sunday as the Sabbath (other than Seventh - day Sabbatarians); a practice which, probably due to the international connections and the Latin tradition of the Roman Catholic Church, is more widespread among (but not limited to) Protestants . Quakers traditionally referred to Sunday as "First Day" eschewing the pagan origin of the English name, while referring to Saturday as the "Seventh day". </P> <P> The Russian word for Sunday is "Voskresenie," meaning "Resurrection day ." The Greek word for Sunday is "Kyriake" (the "Lord's Day"). The Czech, Polish, Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, Ukrainian and Belarusian words for Sunday ("neděle," "niedziela," "nedelja", "nedjelja," "недеља", "неділя" and "нядзеля" respectively) can be translated as "without acts (no work)." </P>

On what day of the week did god rest