Some people don’t like the word “Christmas” being shortened to “Xmas”. But what they might not realise is that “X” actually represents the Greek letter “Chi”, which is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, “Χριστός”.
2. The first Christmas card
A man named Sir Henry Cole is said to be behind the first printed Christmas card, like the ones we buy in shops and send to each other today.
In 1843 Henry Cole asked someone called John Callcott Horsley to design it.
It had the words A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year To You printed on it.
About 1,000 cards were made and cost a shilling each to buy – which was actually a lot of money at the time (around £3 in today’s money).
3. Why is Advent called Advent?
Advent – the period leading up to Christmas – starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas.
The word Advent comes from the Latin “adventus” meaning “arrival” or “coming”.
4. Jingle Bells isn’t a Christmas song
The song, Jingle Bells, wasn’t originally written as a Christmas tune. It doesn’t even mention Christmas, Advent or Jesus!
That’s because it was actually written for Thanksgiving.
5. Mince pies once contained meat
During early Victorian times mince pies used to be made from actual, real-life meat! It is thought this tradition dated back to Tudor times.
However, throughout the 19th Century, the traditional mince pie recipe started to develop into the one we know today, with fruit and spices – and no meat!
6. Where does epiphany come from?
Epiphany is the name given to the day 12 days after Christmas, on 6 January, when the wise men are said to have visited the new baby and Jesus was shown to the world for the first time.
The word Epiphany comes from the Greek word meaning “show” or “reveal”.
