A Candymaker in Indiana wanted to make a candy
The candymaker made the candy in the form
Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain,
Unfortunately, the candy became known
The book
The Legend of the Candy Cane
that would be a witness, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane.
He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and
death of Jesus Christ.
He began with a stick of pure white,
hard candy. White to symbolize the Virgin Birth and
the sinless nature of Jesus and hard to symbolize the
Solid Rock, the foundation of the Church, and
firmness of the promise of God.
of a "J" to represent the precious name of Jesus
who came to earth as our Savior. It could also
represent the staff of the "Good Shepherd"
with which He reaches down into the ditches of the
world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all sheep,
have gone astray.
the candymaker stained it with red stripes. He used three small
stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received
by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for
the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could
have the promise of eternal life.
as the Candy-Cane - a meaningless decoration seen at
Christmas time . But the meaning is still there for
those who "have eyes to see and ears to hear".
I pray that this symbol will again be used to witness
to the Wonder of Jesus and His Great Love that came down
at Christmas and remains the ultimate and dominant
force in the universe today.
The tradtional candy can was born over 350 years ago,
when mothers used white sugar sticks as pacifiers
for their babies. Around 1670, the choirmaster of
Cologne Cathedral in Colonge, Germany, bent the sticks
into canes to represent a shepards staff. He then used
these white candy canes to keep the attention of small
childern durring the long Nativity service.
The use of candy canes durring the Christmas service spread
through out Europe. In northern Europe, sugar canes decorated
with sugar roses were used to brighten the home at Christmas
time.
In the mid 1800's, the candy cane arrived in the U.S.
when a German-Swedish immigrant in Wooster,Ohio , decorated
his spruce tree with paper ornaments and white sugar canes.
The red stripe was added to the candy cane at the turn of the
century, when peppermint and wintergreen were added and became
the traditional flavors for the candy cane.
Some sources say that a candy maker in Indiana developed
the cane as a witness of Christs love. (see story above)
While we may never know the full history of the candy cane,
we can share in the truth behind it's symbol, the truth
of Christ's birth and redemption, and the gift of
his love.
