Users' questions

Why is Christmas shortened to Xmas?

Why is Christmas shortened to Xmas?

In the Greek alphabet, X is the symbol for the letter ‘chi. 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.

What is the traditional meaning of Christmas?

Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion.

What does Christmas celebrate?

Christmas is literally “the mass for Christ”, the day on which Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. The western date for Jesus’ birth is quite arbitrary. It was chosen by Pope Leo I, bishop of Rome (440-461), to coincide with the Festival of the Saturnalia, when Romans worshipped Saturn, the sun god.

What is the difference between Xmas and 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”.

Is Xmas biblical?

Christmas Is Not Supported By Scripture None of Jesus’ disciples, nor any of His apostles attempted to celebrate the miraculous birth of our Lord and Savior. The celebration of Christmas was not celebrated by the early Church either. But not once in the Bible does God tell us to celebrate Christmas” (Halff, 1).

What the Christmas tree symbolizes?

It is believed that the first known Christmas tree that was brought inside and decorated was during the 16th century by a man called Martin Luther. The Christmas tree represents Jesus and the light he brings to the world, for Christians.

What Christmas festival symbolizes?

Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration by billions of people around the world.