Everything Victorian ·
The Origin of Candy Canes
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(Shared by my cousin, Tamme Taylor Thornton, on Facebook.)
According to folklore, in 1670, in Cologne, Germany, the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral, asked a local candy maker for some sweet sticks for children's choir for Christmas Eve.
He asked the candy maker to add a crook to the top of each stick, which would help children remember the shepherds who paid visit to infant Jesus. In addition, he used the white color of the converted sticks to teach children about the Christian belief in the sinless life of Jesus.
It is also said that the shape is like the letter “J” in Jesus’ name. It is also in the shape of the shepherds’ crook, symbolic of how Jesus, like the “Good Shepherd” watches over his children like little lambs.
It is a hard candy, solid like a “rock”, the foundation of the Church.
The bold red stripe represents God’s love.
The three fine stripes are said by some to represent the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The flavor of peppermint is similar to another member of the mint family, hyssop. In the Old Testament hyssop was used for purification and sacrifice, and this is said to symbolize the purity of Jesus and the sacrifice he made.
It is also said that the shape is like the letter “J” in Jesus’ name. It is also in the shape of the shepherds’ crook, symbolic of how Jesus, like the “Good Shepherd” watches over his children like little lambs.
It is a hard candy, solid like a “rock”, the foundation of the Church.
The bold red stripe represents God’s love.
The three fine stripes are said by some to represent the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The flavor of peppermint is similar to another member of the mint family, hyssop. In the Old Testament hyssop was used for purification and sacrifice, and this is said to symbolize the purity of Jesus and the sacrifice he made.
From Germany, the candy canes spread to other parts of Europe, where they were handed out during plays reenacting the Nativity.
The candy cane has been mentioned in literature since 1866, was first mentioned in association with Christmas in 1874,and as early as 1882 was hung on Christmas trees.
So, since then, when you see candy canes around, means Christmas is coming and it reminds us of the meaning of Christmas and holidays.
Merry Christmas everyone .... ❤
Merry Christmas everyone .... ❤
That's really cool. I remember reading about this a long time ago, and I'm glad I was reminded of the symbolism of one of my favorite holiday flavors.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I posted it! I, too, remember hearing the story, but I never remembered all of the details, which is why I decided to save this to my blog.
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