Why do people say X-mas?

Question

I've never heard someone say "Happy St. X Day" instead of St. Patrick's Day, or X-ween for Halloween.

Why say X-mas?

Answer 1

"Xmas" and "X-mas" are common abbreviations of the word "Christmas". They are sometimes pronounced "eksmas", but they, and variants such as "Xtemass", originated as handwriting abbreviations for the pronunciation "Christmas". The "-mas" part came from the Anglo-Saxon for "festival", "religious event": Crīstesmæsse or Crīstemæsse. This abbreviation is widely but not universally accepted; some view it as demeaning to Christ, whilst others find it a helpful abbreviation.
The word "Christ" and its compounds, including "Christmas", have been abbreviated for at least the past 1,000 years, long before the modern "Xmas" was commonly used. "Christ" was often written as "XP" or "Xt"; there are references in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far back as 1021 AD. This X and P arose as the uppercase forms of the Greek letters χ and ρ), used in ancient abbreviations for Χριστος (Greek for "Christ") (see Labarum), and are still widely seen in many Eastern Orthodox icons depicting Jesus Christ.

Some people believe that the term is part of an effort to "take Christ out of Christmas" or to literally "cross out Christ";[citation needed] it is also seen as evidence of the secularization of Christmas, as a symptom of the commercialization of the holiday (as the abbreviation has long been used by retailers). It may also be used as a vehicle to be more inclusive, see political correctness.

The occasionally felt belief that the "X" represents the cross Christ was crucified on has no basis in fact; regardless, St Andrew's Cross is X-shaped, but Christ's cross was probably shaped like a T or a †. Indeed, X-as-chi was associated with Christ long before X-as-cross could be, since the cross as a Christian symbol developed later. (The Greek letter Chi Χ stood for "Christ" in the ancient Greek acrostic ΙΧΘΥΣ ichthys.) While some see the spelling of Christmas as Xmas a threat, others see it as a way to honor the martyrs. The use of X as an abbreviation for "cross" in modern abbreviated writing (e.g. "Kings X" for "Kings Cross") may have reinforced this assumption.

In ancient Christian art χ and χρ are abbreviations for Christ's name.[citation needed] In many manuscripts of the New Testament and icons, X is an abbreviation for Christos, as is XC (the first and last letters in Greek, using the lunate sigma); compare IC for Jesus in Greek. The Oxford English Dictionary documents the use of this abbreviation back to 1551, 50 years before the first English colonists came to North America and 60 years before the King James Version of the Bible was completed. At the same time, Xian and Xianity were in frequent use as abbreviations of "Christian" and "Christianity"; and nowadays still are sometimes so used, but much less than "Xmas". The proper names containing the name "Christ" other than aforementioned are rarely abbreviated in this way (e.g. Hayden Xensen for the actor name "Hayden Christensen"). Pop artist Christina Aguilera is known to spell her first name as 'Xtina'.

This apparent usage of "X" to spell the syllable "kris" (rather than the sounds "ks") has extended to "xtal" for "crystal", and on florists' signs "xant" for "chrysanthemum"[citation needed] (though these words are not etymologically related to "Christ"; "crystal" comes from a Greek word meaning "ice", and "chrysanthemum" from Greek words meaning "golden flower", while "Christ" comes from a Greek word meaning "anointed").

In the animated television show Futurama, which is set in the 31st century, Xmas is the official name for the day formerly known as Christmas (which has become an "archaic pronunciation").

Answer 2

Christ is only one syllable. Merry xmas!
People may not say Happy St. X Day because that doesn't make much sense. People will say Happy St. Paddy's day, though. If you want the real reason just read the Wikipedia copy and pastes people put in here ;-)

If you are inferring that people are taking Christ out of Christmas thus taking the religious aspect out of the holiday season, then why don't people kick up a fuss when they abbreviate Jesus Christ by just saying Christ? Merry Jesus Christmas! Why abbreviate with God all the time? Maybe we should always say the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit so we don't forget what God is?

Answer 3

X is the first letter in the Greek word meaning Christmas Xpistouyena prounounced Hristou-yena. That is how you have X-mas.
The word "Christ" and its compounds, including "Christmas", have been abbreviated for at least the past 1,000 years, long before the modern "Xmas" was commonly used. "Christ" was often written as "XP" or "Xt"; there are references in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far back as 1021 AD. This X and P arose as the uppercase forms of the Greek letters χ and ρ), used in ancient abbreviations for Χριστος (Greek for "Christ") and are still widely seen in many Eastern Orthodox icons depicting Jesus Christ.
I'm Greek and so merry X-mas

Answer 4

The X in X-mas is used to X out Christ. Easy as that. I'm not too religious, but I still say Christmas.
Hope I helped!
-HP

Answer 5

i think of that it would be c-mas if it is going to be abbreviated. CHRIST mas replaced into named after Jesus Christ. despite if it quite is abbreviated, then that should come to the tip that his call is Jesus X, and that may not his call. i will no longer be able to purchase, provide, or receive something that has x-mas on it. i wish u have a merry CHRISTmas, and a satisfied new year. ?/Cati

Answer 6

That's because X is a symbol used by Christians to represent Christ. The people that followed Christ in his day were persecuted everywhere they went so to singal to others around them that they were Christians they would draw that simple fish symbol in the sand(you know the one you see on cars nowdays). In time the fish symbol evolved into the center of the symbol which was an X. Therefore when saying Xmas you are saying Christmas. To my knowledge no one has ever used the symbol X to represent the word Patrick or Hallow, but somehow it wouldn't surprize me if a person of your incredible intellect would try that just because mommy and daddy didn't pay enuff attention to you at home. Get an education lil girl. X be with you.

Answer 7

Because the beginning of the word Christmas is Christ.

A lot of people celebrate the holiday season, but not in a religious manner. They like the sense of family and what the season brings, just in a secular way.

Answer 8

To make it shorter:

I believe it is so people who aren't Christians can still celebrate and feel like it's not a Christian holiday. I don't feel like doing research though...so...

Answer 9

Have you noticed that no one ever SAYS it, they WRITE it because they don't feel like writing out the whole word Christmas, so they just put X-mas...Just like on the road signs on those backroads that say Deer X-ing (Deer Crossing)...

If you ever heard someone say it though, they don't know that people only WRITE it...lol...they just know it means Christmas...

Answer 10

Because the Greek letter that looks like "X" was the first letter in the Greek word for "Christ". It's been abbreviated this way for a long time.