• Source:JND

Christmas or Xmas:  Christmas 2025 is around the corner. It is probably the biggest celebration of the year-end. The joyous festival of Christmas is celebrated to honour the birth of Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity. The term Christmas is derived from two words, Christ (Jesus) and Mass (Communion), which refer to the Mass service of people indulging in activities to remember Jesus's sacrifice and resurrection. However, many times Christmas is also written or spelt as Xmas. Is this just a lazy way of writing Christmas, or does it really hold some meaning?

Xmas has religious origins that date back many centuries. In ancient times, X in ‘Xmas’ stands for Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word ‘Christos,’ which simply means Christ. In ancient times, the symbol of Chi was used as a secret code by early Christians to hide their faith during the time of Roman persecution. Additionally, the god’s name ‘Christ’ was shortened to 'XP' or ChiRho in the manuscripts of Bibles in the 11th century.

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The word Xmas also became popularised through written advertisements and the newspaper in the 18th century in America. Therefore, spiritually, Xmas is not just the quick way to write Christmas but also holds spiritual significance.

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At last, in Christianity, Chi represents the light of God in Christ, who shines in darkness, written in John 1:5: 'And the light shines in darkness; and darkness did not comprehend it.' Even as 'XP' referred back to incarnation in ancient rituals, Xmas encourages us to reflect on incarnation. Now, in modern times, ‘Xmas’ brings together the whole world of Christians, right from the Western Christmas carols to the midnight masses and has become an eternal symbol of Christmas.


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