Diamond T Design
Let your light shine!
Creative ideas for creative minds.
Let your light shine!
Creative ideas for creative minds.
Christmas is about the birth of Christ pure and simple.
Over the years traditions have developed to help bring joy to the season of Christmas bringing many sub-traditions that help us focus on the reason for the season.It is centered around family, faith, and love. It is about traditions that help people identify to the birth of Christ.
Sometime around 1650 candy canes began to appear in Europe as candy makers developed hard sugar sticks originally straight white in color.
Soon, Christians took the idea of taking these sugar sticks and forming the familiar cane appearance making them easy to place on Christmas trees. As decorations, candy canes made great presents for children adding to the Christmas joy around the Christmas tree.
About 1670, a choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany created the sugar cane to appear like the
shepherd's staff that the bishop as Shepherd of the flock symbolizes.
These became popular giving them out at Midnight Mass all over Europe to children.
It wasn't long before candy makers began adding sugar and decorated the candy canes with a rose color appearance.
It wasn't until about 1847 that the candy cane tradition made it to America thanks to the German immigrant, August Imgard who first decorated his Christmas tree in Wooster Ohio.
From there, candy canes have become an American tradition.
About 1900, candy canes began to appear bearing the familiar red-and-white stripes adding the classic peppermint and wintergreen flavors.
From the Christian tradition,
the "J" shape is a constant reminder to Jesus
as the colors red and white stripes
represent the purity from the white color
and the blood represented by the red color.
Very much in line with the Divine Mercy message.
The three red stripes originally stood for the Trinity as it symbolized three stripes on one candy cane.
The hardness of the candy cane came to represent the Catholic Church's foundation being based on solid rock.
The peppermint flavor represented the hyssop branch
that played an important roll at the first Passover (Exodus 12:22) and also Christ's crucifixion scene (John 19:29)..
We are living in times when religious celebrations are becoming more and more secularized and many have forgotten many of the original meanings behind our traditions.
Advent is an opportunity to prepare for the coming of the King
not only as a child in a manger,
but as importantly,
his Second Coming which should always be within our hope and sight.
Good St. Nicholas, we honor you
on this your holy feast day.
We rejoice that you are the patron saint
and the holy symbol of joy
for many peoples of many lands.
Come, great-hearted saint,
and be our patron and companion
as we, once again, prepare our homes and hearts
for the great feast of Christmas,
the birth of the Eternal Blessing, Jesus Christ.
May these sweets, these candy canes,
be a sign of Advent joy for us.
May these candy canes,
shaped just like your Bishop's staff,
be for us a sign of your benevolent care.
We rejoice that you are the holy bringer of gifts
and that so many have been delighted through your great generosity.
Help us to be as generous of heart.
Wherever these candy canes are hung,
on tree or wall or door, may they carry with them the bright blessing of God.
May all who shall taste them
experience the joy of God
upon their tongues and in their hearts.
We ask God, now, to bless
these your brightly striped sweets
in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Legend has it that in 1670, the cane shaped candy became historical when a choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany bent the sugar-sticks into canes to appear as shepherd's hooks. The all-white candy canes were given out to children who attended the ceremonies. This became a popular tradition, and eventually the practice during church ceremonies which spread all over Europe and America.
The first documented example of the use of candy canes to celebrate Christmas occurred in 1847, when August Imgard, a German-Swedish immigrant, from Wooster, Ohio decorated the Christmas tree with paper ornaments and candy canes.
The solid white sugar canes were on Christmas cards in the early 1900's. The first red and white striped candy canes were made at the turn of the 19th century. At the same time the first striped candy canes appeared, and candy makers added the peppermint flavor which quickly became a traditional flavor.
In the 1920's Bob McCormack, from Atlanta, was the first to use candy canes as special treats for Christmas for his friends and family. In the beginning the red and white candy canes were made by hand and producing them were labor intensive. The laborious process of making candy canes was eliminated in the 1950's when a machine designed especially for the automation of candy cane productions was invented by Gregory Keller (Bob's brother-in-law). His company, Bob's Candies was the first company to mass-produce and distribute candy canes worldwide, and has been in business for over eighty years.
Many people believe that the shape and form of the candy cane have religious meaning.
It is believe that the red stripes of the candy cane represent
the blood of Christ and the white stripes of the candy cane represent the purity of Christ.
The three fine stripes are believed to represent the Holy Trinity.
The ''j'' shape of the candy cane is said to represent the name of Jesus.
The solid texture or hardness of the candy cane is said to symbolize the solid rock foundation of the Church.
The peppermint flavor is supposed to stem from an herb called hyssop.
In the Old Testament hyssop was used to symbolize the purity of Jesus and the sacrifice he made.
The crook shape is said to symbolize a shepherd's crook.
Either way, the candy cane is now a traditional symbol of the Christmas holiday. Today, candy canes are available in different shapes, colors and flavors, but the red and white peppermint candy cane still remains the classic favorite among candy canes.
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