Quizzes & Puzzles1 min ago
'Xmas' or 'Christmas'?
48 Answers
As somebody who hates Americanisms with a passion I caught myself out a couple of days ago saying Xmas instead of Christmas. I wondered What do other ABers think about this?
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Zeuhl, it may be more complicated than that. From Wiki:
The date of Christmas may have initially been chosen to correspond with the day exactly nine months after early Christians believed Jesus to have been conceived, as well as the date of the southern solstice (i.e., the Roman winter solstice), with a sun connection being possible because Christians consider Jesus to be the "Sun of righteousness" prophesied in Malachi.
In other words, the Annunciation - tied to the spring solstice - came first and Christmas was calculated on from that.
I've never been sure why a Rome-based church should celebrate with yule logs, hardly a feature of Italian life, and I wonder if north European pagans may have imported their old symbols into the Christian festival rather than the other way round.
The date of Christmas may have initially been chosen to correspond with the day exactly nine months after early Christians believed Jesus to have been conceived, as well as the date of the southern solstice (i.e., the Roman winter solstice), with a sun connection being possible because Christians consider Jesus to be the "Sun of righteousness" prophesied in Malachi.
In other words, the Annunciation - tied to the spring solstice - came first and Christmas was calculated on from that.
I've never been sure why a Rome-based church should celebrate with yule logs, hardly a feature of Italian life, and I wonder if north European pagans may have imported their old symbols into the Christian festival rather than the other way round.
X = first letter of Christ in ancient Greek, the lingua franca of early christianity.
Said early Christians were fond of signs and symbolism, often for purposes of secrecy. This love of symbolism persisted after Christianity became the official religion of Rome. X-mas is recorded as a use in England in the 11th century. so it's fine by me.
Said early Christians were fond of signs and symbolism, often for purposes of secrecy. This love of symbolism persisted after Christianity became the official religion of Rome. X-mas is recorded as a use in England in the 11th century. so it's fine by me.
So Xmas is 11th Century text speak? I always read it as Christmas, not 'X-mas' anyway.But Happy Holidays is very curious, and American. Curious because it's been used for a long time in a country which is Christian and far more church-going and openly religious than ours; it's not as though Christmas is likely to offend the usual recipients of the card.
I don't like Christingle for the Church service either; no doubt it is an old word revived; because it sounds so happy- clappy and trendy. As I'm an atheist, it shouldn't matter to me, but it's jarring.
I don't like Christingle for the Church service either; no doubt it is an old word revived; because it sounds so happy- clappy and trendy. As I'm an atheist, it shouldn't matter to me, but it's jarring.
