Where did the term Xmas come from?
In the early days of the Christian church, Christians used the letter X as a secret symbol to indicate their membership in the church to others. If you know the Greek meaning of X, Xmas and Christmas essentially mean the same thing: Christ + mas = Christmas.
Is it wrong to say Xmas instead of Christmas?
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Christmas is also known on paper as XMAS. But some people just don’t agree with the spelling of the holiday. They believe it takes the Christ out of Christmas, saying it’s a modern and disrespectful abbreviation that focuses on the commercialization of this Christian holiday.
What is the difference between Christmas and Xmas?
Christmas or Christmas Day is the holiday which is celebrated by Christians as the birth of Jesus Christ while Xmas is the abbreviation of the word.
When was Xmas first celebrated?
December 25, 336 AD (Rome)Christmas / Date of first occurrence
The first recorded Christmas celebration was in Rome on December 25, AD 336. In the 3rd century, the date of the nativity was the subject of great interest.
Why is Christmas written as Xmas?
X represents the Greek letter chi, the initial letter in the word Χριστός (Chrīstos). And what does Χριστός mean? “(Jesus) Christ.” X has been an acceptable representation of the word Christ for hundreds of years.
Is it OK to write Xmas?
The Greek symbol chi-rho is represented in the X for “chi” and the rho for “r” to combine the word, “Christ.” But it turns out that “Xmas” isn’t a modern convention at all. It was used commonly in 16th-century Europe, when many people began using the term “Christos,” the Greek translation for Christ, to refer to Jesus.
Is Xmas correct English?
While “Xmas” is considered to be an informal abbreviation, and should never be used in formal writing, it is historically correct. The word “Christ” and its compounds, including “Christmas”, have been abbreviated in English for at least the past 1,000 years, long before the modern “Xmas” was commonly used.
Who started Christmas celebration?
The origins of Christmas stem from both the pagan and Roman cultures. The Romans actually celebrated two holidays in the month of December. The first was Saturnalia, which was a two-week festival honoring their god of agriculture Saturn. On December 25th, they celebrated the birth of Mithra, their sun god.
Why is Xmas on the 25th?
The church in Rome began formally celebrating Christmas on December 25 in 336, during the reign of the emperor Constantine. As Constantine had made Christianity the effective religion of the empire, some have speculated that choosing this date had the political motive of weakening the established pagan celebrations.
When did Christmas originate?
December 25, 336 AD (Rome)Christmas / Date of first occurrence