The Meaning Of Christmas

The word Christmas has been around for centuries. Some dictionaries say it belongs to the late Old English period; others that it dates back to the 12th century. Old forms include cristes masse and christmasse, meaning the festival (mass) of Christ. Christmas actually replaced a number of significant pagan midwinter festivals when the church was trying to persuade Romans to convert to Christianity.

In the phrase Merry Christmas, the word merry does not refer an excess of seasonal good cheer, nor yet to drunkenness. Those meanings date from the 14th century onwards. However, the original meaning of merry was pleasing or agreeable. That meaning is also found in the phrase God rest you merry, gentlemen (NOT God rest you, merry gentlemen), where rest is used in the same sense as in rest assured.

The use of the abbreviation Xmas drives some people crazy, yet it is not a modern aberration, but an ancient usage. X was used to represent the Greek symbol chi, which is also the first letter in Christ. That usage has been around since Roman times.

Bringer of gifts Santa Claus has evolved from a Christian saint, Saint Nicholas, and is believed to have arrived in the US with the Dutch. Though now the two are inextricably intertwined, Father Christmas predates Santa Claus, having been around since the 15th century.

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Sharon on December 18, 2007 | Filed Under Vocabulary

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11 Responses to “The Meaning Of Christmas”

NextInstinct on December 18th, 2007 1:20 pm

Excellent and timely post!

An F.Y.I:
Armenia was the first whole nation on Earth to recognize
and celebrate Christmas.

Historical documents show that as a nation, Christianity and a
replication of the Spirit of the Nativity, ‘gifting’, were fully adopted by Armenia by 301 A.D.

Today Christmas is largely observed both on the traditional, modern Julian dating of December 25,
and also January 6, sometimes referred to as “Little Christmas”.
Although, the latter more accurately represents to actual timing of the Birth.
Sharon on December 18th, 2007 1:32 pm

Thanks, NextInstinct. It’s always good to learn about the history of major dates in different countries. I found a lot of information about January 5/6 relating to 12th Night. Also, in a lot of Scandinavian countries, the major celebration is actually December 24th.
Maeve on December 18th, 2007 2:35 pm

It is not likely that Jesus was born in either December or January. Palestine is too cold at those times for shepherds to be “abiding in the fields.” The association of Christ’s birth with December 25 arose long after the gospels were written. Taking December 25 as the date of Jesus’ birth is just one of many examples of the Christian co-opting of an established pagan holiday by giving it Christian significance. It was a way of transforming pagans into Christians without making them give up their traditions.
Matilda on December 18th, 2007 2:42 pm

Well Done Maeve, I agree with you there
Sharon on December 18th, 2007 2:45 pm

You’re right, Maeve, and it is a fascinating history. Easter is another Christian celebration that is reputed to have pagan roots dating back thousands of years before Christ’s birth.

However, Halloween’s origins are very much Christian, as it marks the vigil held before the Feast Of All Saints (or All Hallows) on November 1.
Beth Jones on December 18th, 2007 3:58 pm

AAAAHHHH. I have no problem with the information itself. It’s interesting. But, please, what does this have to do with daily writing!!!!?? Maybe the newsletter name should be changed to something like “Daily Random Fact That Has Little To Do With Writing.”
Daniel Scocco on December 18th, 2007 4:11 pm

Hey Beth, the root and origin of words sometimes can help you to use them more efficiently, or at least to not use them with the wrong meaning.

But point noted and thanks for sharing it, I promise the posts not related exclusively to writing tips will be rare.
Roshawn on December 18th, 2007 8:44 pm

Interesting as usual. I didn’t know such facts about Christmas. Shame on Christians for trying to sanctify pagan holidays. Thumbs down.
TheMudflap on December 19th, 2007 5:33 pm

I’d reserve judgment on the Christians for stealing holidays. It’s happened throughout civilization. Hebrews stole Philistine holidays. Babylonians stole Hebrew holidays. It’s how cultures assimilate.