"El Niño was named hundreds of years ago by the people along the coast of South America. It literally means "The Boy." Since it is capitalized, they mean the christ child, or Jesus Christ. Why? In that area of South America it is typically so dry crops cannot be grown. But during an El Niño, the warm waters develop rain, the wind shifts from the west, and that region can grow crops. The beneficial rain tends to show up around Christmas, and was looked at as a gift from Christ."