Christmas is celebrated by many households across Ireland every year, but that doesn't mean everyone knows the history behind the holiday - or why it is sometimes shortened to 'Xmas'
People across Ireland are making their final preparations for Christmas, with the big celebration just days away.
For some, Christmas is the only correct name for holiday, but others use it interchangeably with Xmas.Not everyone is familiar with the etymology behind the words, and many don't know the difference between them at all, Mirror UK reports. According to Dictionary.com, the -mas comes from the old English word for mass. Equally, the origins of Christ in Christmas are easy to understand.Xmas was used as an abbreviation as early as the mid-1500s, according to Dictionary.com. The experts explain: "X represents the Greek letter chi the initial letter in the word Χριστός - which means ' Christ.'"
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