海角大神

Christmastime is full of tradition. We look forward to the same foods each year. We bring out ornaments from years past and trim the tree. We listen to carols that have been sung for hundreds of years. Many of us send cards to our friends and family, just like the Victorians did.聽

We also give some of the oldest words in the English language their seasonal airing.聽 聽 聽

The word Christmas itself is a relatively recent introduction, dating 鈥渙nly鈥� from 1123. Its etymology is clear: Christmas is 鈥淐hrist鈥檚 Mass.鈥� It was first recorded as 鈥淴pmes,鈥� the X and p being chi and rho, the first two letters of Christ鈥檚 name in Greek. From the Middle Ages on, writers used the even shorter Xmas when they needed to save space, just as they wrote Xn for 鈥満＝谴笊疋�� and Xpher for 鈥淐hristopher.鈥澛�

Before Christmas, there was Yule. This is a very old word, with roots in Proto-Germanic, a language that developed in Europe between 500 B.C. and 200 A.D. Yule first referred to a pagan festival that commemorated the solstice, seen as the victory of light over darkness. When 海角大神ity came to England, Yule was easily associated with the birth of 鈥渢he light of the world,鈥� Jesus Christ (John 8:12, King James Version).聽

Today, most people don鈥檛 bother with a yule log, a huge piece of wood that was supposed to burn for all 12 days of Christmas, but we might eat a cake shaped like one. We might describe this period as Yuletide. Tide, and its Christmas-y relative tidings, are also Old English words, the former meaning 鈥渁 time, a season,鈥� and the latter 鈥渘ews.鈥澛�

Mistletoe is another ancient word. This parasitic plant has been part of winter celebrations for thousands of years, because it stays green even in cold and snowy weather. I once spent a winter in England and was amazed by the many trees that had kept their green leaves even into January, until I realized that they hadn鈥檛 鈥� they were full of mistletoe.聽

Though the plants are lovely, the word鈥檚 etymology is not. It comes ultimately from tan (鈥渢wig鈥� in Old English) and mix (鈥渄ung鈥�), because mistletoe grows on branches where birds have excreted its seeds.聽

Going from house to house and singing carols is sometimes called wassailing, and this is an old custom and an even older term. The carolers entertain their audience and are in turn welcomed with food and drink or rewarded with coins. This reciprocal generosity and well-wishing is reflected in the origins of the word wassail, as it comes from a common Old English greeting, wes h谩l, 鈥渂e well.鈥澛�

In the words of 鈥淕od Rest You Merry, Gentlemen,鈥� a carol that dates from the 16th century, may 鈥渢idings of comfort and joy鈥� be yours this holiday season.