People Stunned After Discovering Why Christmas Is Called Xmas
People have been left shocked after discovering the real reason that Christmas is called Xmas.
If you’ve ever been faced with a stack of Christmas cards to write, you may have been tempted to make a certain abbreviation.
But shortening ‘Christmas’ to ‘Xmas’ has something of a complicated history.
Many of us have had our own theories – and likely, the wrong idea – about how this Christmas nickname came into being.
And now, the internet has come together to solve this mystery once and for all.
There’s one persistent myth that the X replacement is a symbol for the ‘Christ’ in the original spelling.
A cross, or crucifix, is a symbol of Christ, after all.
However, while this ‘X = crucifix’ theory doesn’t have any proof to back it up, there is a slight religious significance to the replacement letter for Christ’s name.
Another ongoing theory is that removing ‘Christ’ from Christmas signifies the change in the way the holiday is celebrated by the majority of the Western world.
While it used to be a highly religious festival, these days most people just think of it as a cosy time of gift-giving and spending time with loved ones, taking away some of the more pious elements of the story.
Therefore, the belief was that ‘Christmas’ referred to the religious holiday, while ‘Xmas’ referred to the more socially and culturally accepted method of celebrating the day.
However, this theory is also wrong.
The ‘X’ of ‘Xmas’ is actually also a religious reference to Christ!
A TikToker explains exactly where the name ‘Xmas’ comes from.
Many eagerly responded to the video, with one commenting: “Thank you, my whole life has been a lie.”
Another added: “Mind-blowing.”
He first debunks the theory that it refers to the more commercialized, and less religious version of the festive holiday.
He then continues: “The real origin of the X comes from the Greek name for Christ himself if you were referring to Christ as Christos or Chi (X) in Greek.”
Looking to Dictionary.com, we can learn more about the etymology of the controversial shortening of ‘Christmas.’
The site explains: “You won’t find Xmas in church songbooks or even on many greeting cards. Some people associate Xmas with the holiday as a commercial, secular occasion instead of as a particular cultural and religious ritual.”
But it goes on to again debunk this popular theory, writing: “The history of the word Xmas is actually more respectable – and fascinating – than you might suspect.
“First of all, the abbreviation predates (by centuries) its use in gaudy advertisements.
“It was first used in the mid-1500s. 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.”
Indeed, it turns out the letter X has a whole host of different meanings.
The site confirms: “As lovers of the alphabet, we are transfixed by the flexibility of X. The same letter can represent the sacred, the profane (rated X), and the unknown (x-ray).”
@knoxstudy Why we use Xmas to mean Christmas #english #christmas #christmas2021 ♬ original sound – Knox Study
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