Have you ever spotted the word "Xmas" instead of "Christmas" and wondered about the mystery behind this abbreviation? The answer goes back much further than you might think.
Contrary to popular belief, 'Xmas' isn't a modern shortcut, but a historical tradition dating back to the mid-1500s.
Have you ever spotted the word "Xmas" instead of "Christmas" and wondered about the mystery behind this abbreviation? The answer goes back much further than you might think.
Contrary to common belief, "Xmas" isn't a modern shortcut to save space or an attempt to remove "Christ" from Christmas. It has roots dating back to the mid-1500s, and its origin is quite fascinating.
According to Dictionary.com, the use of "Xmas" started as an alternative way of writing "Christmas." The 'X' in "Xmas" isn't meant to be pronounced as "ecks" in English. Instead, it represents the Greek letter "chi," which is the first letter of the Greek word Χριστός (Christos), translating to (Jesus) Christ.
This use of 'X' as a symbol for Christ extended across languages. Other less common abbreviations following this style include "Xpian" and "Xtian," both representing the word "Christian."
Interestingly, this practice of using Greek letters to symbolize Christians dates back to the time of the Roman Empire. As per U.S. Catholic Christians in the Roman Empire often marked their tombs and significant locations with the Chi-Rho symbol (☧). The Chi-Rho is a stylized combination of the Greek letters chi and rho, the first two letters of Χριστός.
The Chi-Rho symbol persisted through the fall of the Roman Empire and is still utilized by Eastern Orthodox Catholics today. So, the next time you see "Xmas," remember that it's a tradition reaching back centuries, connecting us to the ancient roots of Christianity.