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A candy cane is a sweet that is very popular at Christmas time, especially in British and American cultures. A candy cane is hard, in the shape of a cane (or crook) and is traditionally coloured white with red stripes; however, other colour varieties do exist. Candy canes are a traditional Christmas token. During the holidays, their red and white lines adorn trees and houses, while their minty flavour delights taste buds. In 1847, candy canes were first created by August Imgard, a German-Swedish immigrant from Wooster, Ohio, used the sweets to decorate a small blue spruce tree.

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Origin[]

The earliest form of a candy cane was a simple stick of candy for children, without the hook at the end. Although it is not certain where they originated from, candy canes were popular across Europe by the mid 1600s. The hook shape associated with candy canes is traditionally credited to a choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral in Germany who (according to legend) bent straight candy sticks into crooks to represent a shepherds crook. The shepherd crook is symbolic is Christianity, alluding to Jesus being The Good Shepherd. A candy maker in Indiana decided to create a candy that would remind people of Jesus Christ, so he created the Christmas candy cane. He began with a plain white hard candy stick. Candy canes haven't always been striped. Before 1900, images show white candy canes. The white colour represented Jesus' virgin birth and sinless soul, while the hard candy represented the solid rock that served as the church's cornerstone and the firmness of God's promises. The candy was rendered in the shape of a J, which reflected Jesus' name as well as the Good Shepherds' staff. He then painted three lines on it, one to represent the scourging Jesus got and the other to represent Christ's bloodshed on the cross. The bent cane serves as a reminder that Jesus' body was broken by us.

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Candy Canes - History

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