For years people have been giving and
receiving candy canes in the duration of Christmas time. And for years, people
have been doing it mindlessly, paying no attention to the origins from which
the candy cane had sprung.
For years mothers hung them on Christmas
trees – children picked them from the Christmas trees and ate them – toddlers
suckled on them after receiving them from their teachers – other toddlers threw
them at their peers because of the utter confusion involved with being handed a
candy cane near Christmas time. I am suckling on one as I type as I also share
the mind of the confused toddler. The reality is though, that wherever there is
a candy cane there is no reason, besides the obvious pointing out of the
nearing event, Christmas. No explanation either, other than “It was on sale at
[name of nearest and cheapest store] and the box looked cute.”
I wonder if anybody has bothered to ponder
the origins of the sweet, bent sensation that dances with their taste buds. Why
is it, arguably, other than Santa Clause and his gigantic stomach, a beacon of
Christmas? Why is it that strangely bent shape, and why, with the shape making
it slightly difficult to eat, has no confectionary leader decided to straighten
out this sweet rod of goodness to aid children in consuming it?
Children eat this strange shape regardless.
They find their ways around things, and adapt. I break off the curvy part and
consume piece by piece in order to avoid my mouth from sticking together.
However the reasons behind the shape of the candy cane are strongly related to
its origins.
Over three-hundred and fifty years ago,
candy-makers around the world had made white hard sugar sticks. It was not
until after children became restless and irate during long Christmas masses
that these candy-makers decided to take one step closer to more money – what
better way to do this than to bribe parents to pay in order to bribe their
children to save them the humiliation during Christmas masses? So they gave
children these white hard sugar-sticks, however the candy-makers had bent the
tops to stick with the theme of Christmas, so that the sticks became canes
representing a Shepherd’s staff.
This happened in the seventeenth century,
in the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. It spread through Europe, then, of course,
fluttered over to America, where decorations began to fill in the dull white
colour of the candies. In fact, the first historical reference which depicted
candy canes being associated with Christmas in America happened in 1847, when
August Imgard, a German immigrant, had decorated his Christmas tree with these
sensational bent candies. I suppose then Australians thought this was awesome
because America did, and the rest of the world copied America too, thus the
wonderful white bent stick of glory was made.
Its stripes, though, have two alleged
reasons – the first, well, the red stripes on the white sticks were cool and
why not? Maybe it will sell more candies – the second reason though, is where
things get heated: apparently the red symbolizes blood and the white purity,
the actual shape of the candy was a ‘J’ to symbolize the first letter of the
one and only Jesus.
Whatever the actual reason behind the
stripes though, the candy cane is still available today. It is a vital representation
of Christmas, amongst other
overly-priced ornaments and under-priced nativity scenes depicting
deformed faces and donkeys which look like drugged sheep.
Candy canes are delicious, and now come in
varied flavours and colours. Even though they were never handed out to me
during my restlessness in Church when I was younger, I still adore them. In
fact, I just went through my fourth one tonight.
Now that you are aware of the origins of
the Candy Cane, go and suckle on the nearest one and think of the joy those
children felt back in 1670, amidst the cold restless night during a Christmas
mass.
References:
Wikipedia [en.wikipedia.org]
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