The Evolution Of The Candy Cane

Authored by Dean George via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), The 2019 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade featured a candy cane float. Public Domain Candy canes were first made by hand out of sugar syrup using the same hammering and rolling methods that are used in glasswork. Belbury/CC BY-SA 2.0 Regardless of their varied origin stories, striped candy canes are now ubiquitous in the Christmas season. Anrie/CC BY-SA 2.0 Each candy cane at Doscher’s Candies is hooked by hand. Courtesy of Greg Clark Candy canes have been associated with Christmas for centuries, but their origins and early history are shrouded in legend, folklore and fantasy. The 2019 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade featured a candy cane float. Public Domain The sweet and sticky candy first became associated with Christmas in Germany in the 17th century, though the name, color and flavor were markedly different from contemporary candy canes. Originally, they were called sugar sticks. They were pure white in color, had no peppermint flavor, and weren’t “J” shaped. The popularity of sugar sticks eventually spread to other European countries like France and England. Because sugar was often unavailable, sugar sticks were often flavored with sweet essences from plants. Sugar sticks were handmade in small batches and given as seasonal gifts to children, family, and friends. Candy canes were first made by hand out of sugar syrup using the same hammering and rolling methods that are used in glasswork. Belbury/CC BY-SA 2.0 European immigrants coming to America in the 19th century brought their old-world recipes with them. Eventually, sugar sticks became part of this country’s Christmas celebrations. European Folklore and Religious Symbolism A common but unsubstantiated legend says that around 1670, a German choirmaster in Cologne gave children performing in Nativity reenactments sugar sticks to keep them quiet and attentive . A similar tale says that when some church members objected to children eating candy in church, the choirmaster commissioned a confectioner to shape the sugar sticks like shepherd’s crooks to symbolize the Biblical shepherds tending their flocks near Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. Modern day legends attributed more to religious symbolism. Some tales say that when turned upside down, t he candy crook is shaped like a “J” and stands for Jesus . Another tale implies the candied crook represents a shepherd’s crook and is symbolic of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. One popular myth is that an Indiana candymaker crafted the Christmas candy cane to symbolize the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ. The white color represents the purity of the Virgin Mary and Christ’s perfection. The thin red stripes denote Jesus’ scourging before he was crucified, and the large red stripe symbolizes the blood Christ shed on the cross. These anecdotes are intriguing but lack any historical documentation to prove their veracity. More likely is the idea that German families used the hook in the original candy stick to facilitate using it as a Christmas ornament alongside fruit, nuts, candies, cookies, and paper decorations. Regardless of their varied origin stories,...

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