What were Sundays really for?

I remember when growing up that Sundays were a different day. We didn't go to church I'm not from a religious background. A lot happened on Sundays though, gardening, housework, cleaning cars and bikes, visiting grandparents for Sunday tea or dinner, dressed up in our 'Sunday best'. There was the top 40 on radio 1. There weren't any shops open either, Sunday was considered a day of 'rest' hard to believe looking at the list above, but the meaning was... not working, not doing what we did for the other 5 or 6 days of the week. Historically Sunday, Saturday or even parts of Friday have been reserved for religious purposes. A day when we take time out, the sabbath as I remember it being called. A day when no 'work' was to be done. Although 'work' appeared a very loose term to me as a kid. I seemed to get roped into a lot more 'work' on Sundays than any other day! The church and other institutions have been historically opposed to t