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Ever Wondered Why We Say "Merry Christmas" Instead Of "Happy Christmas"? by jocelyncherish: 3:38pm On Dec 26, 2015 |
As December 25th approaches, we've
found ourselves saying "Merry
Christmas " to everyone from our grocery
store cashier to our family members. But
have you ever stopped to wonder where
the phrase "Merry Christmas" comes
from? In a world where it's normal to
say "Happy Easter" and "Happy
Birthday," the "merry" in "Merry
Christmas" is unique.
The folks at Mental Floss recently
pondered the same question and found
that the answer goes back to the
connotation of the two words. "Happy" is
an emotional condition, while "merry" is
a behavior.
Furthermore, happy, which came from
the word "hap," meaning luck or
chance implies good-fortune. Meanwhile,
"merry" implies a more active showing
of happiness—which you might think of
as merry-making.
While both words have evolved and
changed meaning over time (yes—people
did once say "Happy Christmas", people
stopped using "merry" as its own
individual word during the 18th and
19th centuries. It stuck around in
common phrases like "the more, the
merrier," as well as in things like
Christmas carols and stories, largely due
to the influence of Charles Dickens. The
Victorian Christmas went on to define
many of today's holiday customs.
Of course, "Happy Christmas" hasn't
faded completely—it's still widely used
in England. This is believed to be
because "happy" took on a higher class
connotation than "merry," which was
associated with the rowdiness of the
lower classes. The royal family adopted
"Happy Christmas" as their preferred
greeting and others took note.
Meanwhile, "Merry Christmas" took on
sentimental meaning in the U.S. —even
hearing "merry" on its own now makes
us think of December 25th.
See Mental Floss ' full explanation in the
video below:
From: Country Living |
Re: Ever Wondered Why We Say "Merry Christmas" Instead Of "Happy Christmas"? by mulki: 3:42pm On Dec 26, 2015 |
U are wrong bro, its merry Christmas and Joseph's New year |
Re: Ever Wondered Why We Say "Merry Christmas" Instead Of "Happy Christmas"? by Islamicpope(m): 3:51pm On Dec 26, 2015 |
ki ni iyato? a beg na 2 chop DAT day concern me |
Re: Ever Wondered Why We Say "Merry Christmas" Instead Of "Happy Christmas"? by dajoaneke(m): 3:59pm On Dec 26, 2015 |
The most important thing to note is the food that comes with the greeting. If you like you say Merry Christmas or you say Happy Christmas... All join jare |
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