Candy Canes
The History behind the Candy Cane
Candy Canes
Candy canes began around the seventeenth century, when candy makers only made straight, white candy. European-Christians had begun to use Christmas trees and they used special foods and candies to decorate them. In 1670, a choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany bent the sugar sticks to make them represent a shepherd's staff. People would hand out the candy to children during nativity services to keep them from getting too restless. But the candies were still completely white.
The Stripes
No one is really sure who added the stripes to the candy canes. The only thing we know is that prior to the 1900s , all Christmas cards had white candies, and after the 1900s, all cards had striped candies. Somewhere around the same time, candy makers added the peppermint and wintergreen as flavors, and they became he most traditional flavor of candy canes.
Legends of the Candy Cane
There are many different legends about candy canes, but the most common one is that the cane was shaped like a J to stand for Jesus. People also say that the red stripes stand for Christ's blood, the white stripes stands for Christ's purity, and that the three thin stripes represent the Holy Trinity. These are only a few of the legends circling around candy canes.
Sources
"The History of the Candy Cane." The History of the Candy Cane. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.
"History of the Candy Cane & Early Versions." About.com Inventors. About.com, n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014.