I think this is the last Christmas Traditions post. I hope you have enjoyed exploring our holiday practices with me. I learned a great deal, and while many of our traditions don't share Christian roots, I feel better knowing their origins. I still quite enjoy the beauty of lights and trees and carols, and I am comfortable adopting such traditions as my own, because they each still remind my why I celebrate this season in the first place. The Creator of this great universe came down to our world as a tiny baby, and He is the reason that any of this matters to me at all.
If you are just joining, please peruse the several previous entries for more Christmas Traditions uncovered.
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Personally, I prefer the cinnamon flavored ones.
I always eat the long stick part first, then eat the curve. When I was younger, I would eat the stick down until it was level with the other side, making an even-shaped "U". Then I would stick the whole thing in my mouth and pretend I had a retainer. (I was one of those odd children who eagerly anticipated getting glasses and braces. I thought they were cool.)
After hearing the Christian symbolism behind the details of the candy cane, I quickly accepted that as the true origin.
Once again, I have found this information to be not entirely true.
As Christmas trees became a popular tradition in European homes, people would often decorate them with small treats. Straight white sticks of candy were one such treat.
According to tradition, in 1670 the choir director of a cathedral was irritated with fidgety and disruptive children during the living Nativity. To encourage (or bribe) them into good behavior, he passed out these white candy sticks as an incentive. He curved the sticks to represent a shepherd's staff, just like the staffs the shepherds used in the Nativity.
Red stripes were not added until after the start of the 20th century. In fact, Christmas cards made before the 1900s show white candy canes; cards made after that time show the stripes. When, where, and why the stripes appeared is unknown. The common story is that a candymaker in Indiana fashioned the treats as a way to spread the Good News. The hardness of the candy is representative of God the Rock. White is for the purity of Jesus, born of a virgin. Peppermint flavor symbolizes cleansing hyssop. The curved top represents a shepherd's crook, or "J" for Jesus. The red stripes are for Jesus' blood, and the three small stripes represent the Trinity - Father, Son, and Spirit. (Explanations for the stripes vary.)
In the 1950s a machine was invented that enabled the mass production of candy canes. Today, if you walk down any store aisle with Christmas candy, you'll see all kinds of variations: traditional canes, tiny canes, extra large sticks, colors across the rainbow, and just about every flavor imaginable.
Like I said, I prefer the cinnamon.
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