Historians and linguists can't pinpoint for sure exactly why we tend to use Merry Christmas. The greeting dates back to at least 1534 in London, when it was written in a letter sent to Henry VIII's chief minister Thomas Cromwell from bishop John Fisher.
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Dec 10, 2022 · While “Merry Christmas” can be traced back to the 16th century, a carol like “Do You Hear What I Hear?” only dates back to the 1960s, inspired ...
Dec 8, 2021 · This is believed to be because "happy" took on a higher class connotation than "merry," which was associated with the rowdiness of the lower ...
Dec 8, 2022 · Using “Merry” as part of the Christmas greeting is first recorded in 1534, in a Dec. 22 letter from Bishop John Fisher to Thomas Cromwell, which ...
Dec 24, 2017 · But in the 1920s, merry was almost ousted as the traditional greeting in England and Australia. “Merry started to have a meaning of partying ...
Nov 9, 2023 · It all began when merry arrived in Old English by way of Germanic. It essentially meant “pleasing,” but that definition expanded over the ...
Mar 6, 2023 · The answer lies in the Christian re-purposing of the riotous Roman solstice holidays Sol Invictus and the Saturnalia.
Nov 26, 2019 · Though the actual origin of the phrase “Merry Christmas” is obscure, the first recorded use goes back to 1534 in a letter dated December 22 by ...
Mar 27, 2019 · The term Merry is used instead of Happy originally to denote the merrymaking of the holiday, like in the classic Christmas Carol 'God Rest Ye ...
Dec 8, 2021 · This is believed to be because "happy" took on a higher class connotation than "merry," which was associated with the rowdiness of the lower ...