All of us love Christmas and wait eagerly for the 25th of December. After all, what’s not to love about this festival full of colours, light and merriment. We associate Christmas with Christmas trees, Santa Claus, house full of presents, decorations with stars and jingle bells and of course those lip-smacking cakes, cookies, and sugar-stick candies. Not sure what the last one is? Well, are talking about candy canes, those red and white candies with an unusually curved end. They not only act as treats but also as decor items. While getting closer to Christmas, let’s know more about its origin.
Journey of candy cane: From straight to crooked
Prior to the 17th century, as part of Christmas traditions, candy makers worldwide used to make a certain Christmas special candy that was in the shape of a hard and straight stick, completely white in colour. However, in 1670, a certain choirmaster in Germany’s famous Cologne Cathedral realised that the Christmas candy sticks needed to get a Christmassy makeover. Guess what he did? He bent the sugar sticks into the shape of canes, resembling that of shepherd’s staff. How? By hands, till they turned a perfect ‘J’. Interestingly, legends state that the J stood for Jesus.
This shape became an overnight rage among children who were often given the treats if they behaved properly during church services. The practice soon spread across Europe. However, it reached the USA much later in 1847 in the hands of a German immigrant named August Irmgard who decorated his home Christmas tree in Wooster, Ohio, with candy canes.
Candy cane gains its iconic red and white stripes
The original candy cane was either full white in colour or a light shade of pink, thanks to candy makers who experimented with sugar roses, to make the sugary treats Christmassy. Its popular red and white stripes appeared more than 50 years later in the hands of American candymaker Bob McCormack who was inspired by the then striped Christmas cards. Eventually, with the turn of the 19th century, candy makers started adding flavours to the candy canes. These flavours soon became traditional favourites. Later on, towards the mid-20th century, illustrations appeared on striped candy canes. Interestingly, Christians still believe that the red and white stripes symbolise Christ’s blood and purity, while the three stripes represent the Holy Trinity. Guess what the hardness symbolised? The church’s rock-solid foundation. Interesting, isn’t it?