What does X represent in Christmas?
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. Looking for more holiday-themed fun?
Where did the X in Xmas originate?
Greek letter Chi
It is sometimes pronounced /ˈɛksməs/, but Xmas, and variants such as Xtemass, originated as handwriting abbreviations for the typical pronunciation /ˈkrɪsməs/. The “X” comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Christós (Greek: Χριστός), which became Christ in English.
When was the term Xmas started?
But, 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).
Who started Xmas?
The church in Rome began celebrating Christmas on December 25 in the 4th century during the reign of Constantine, the first Christian emperor, possibly to weaken pagan traditions.
What is the chi symbol?
Χ
Chi (uppercase/lowercase Χ χ) is the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet. It is used to represent the “ch” sound (as in Scottish “loch” or German “Bauch”) in Ancient and Modern Greek. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 600. Letters that came from it include the Roman X and Cyrillic Х.
What does the C mean in Christmas?
CHRISTMAS means:- C – stands for The CHRIST Child that was born in Bethlehem. H – is the HEAVENLY Father who sent His son for mortal man. R – means our REDEMPTION plan, this Christ Child’s birth did bring.
What is the difference between Christmas and Xmas?
The word “mas” is part of the word “Christmas”. “Xmas” is a common abbreviation of the word “Christmas”. The “-mas” part is from the Latin-derived Old English word for “Mass”, while the “X” comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Χριστός, translated as “Christ”.
What is Santa called in France?
Père Noël
Père Noël (French pronunciation: [pɛʁ nɔ. ɛl]), “Father Christmas”, sometimes called ‘Papa Noël’ (“Daddy Christmas”), is a legendary gift-bringer at Christmas in France and other French-speaking areas, identified with the Father Christmas and/or Santa Claus of English-speaking territories.
What does the letter X mean in Xmas?
The letter “X” in Xmas stands from the Greek letter “X” (pronounced Chi) which is the first letter of the word “Χριστός” (Christ in Greek).
Why is there an X in Christmas?
First of all, you have to understand that it is not the letter X that is put into Christmas. We see the English letter X there, but actually what it involves is the first letter of the Greek name for Christ. Christos is the New Testament Greek for Christ. The first letter of the Greek word Christos is transliterated into our alphabet as an X.
What is the meaning of Chi X in Christmas?
Chi is written as an ‘X’ and Rho is written as a ‘P’, but they are the first two letters of the Greek word Christ ‘savior’. ‘XP’ is sometimes used to stand for Christ. Sometimes ‘X’ is used alone. This is the case in the Chi (X) abbreviation for Christ in Xmas.
What is the root word of Xmas?
The letter “X” in Xmas stands from the Greek letter “X” (pronounced Chi) which is the first letter of the word “Χριστός” (Christ in Greek). So, Xmas and Christmas are actually two equivalent words in every way, except their lettering. This should come as no surprise as using the Greek letter “X” in place…