Christmas is commonly celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike but I know there are some Christians who see this as a pagan holiday for the customs or traditions handed down over the generations. The truth of the matter is there are many Christian symbols among the said pagan customs if one looks with an open heart. I wrote a piece this past week in my Sunspiration post on this topic. Today, I want to take a closer look at the history behind the candy cane and its Christian origin.
What amazes me when I read articles about Christianity at Christmas and despite the dark times these customs were born. People who were bold enough to let their Christian faith shine even if it was through a secret message to only the believers of Christ. The legend of the candy cane tells of such a story. Please allow me to share this with you…
**The below info came from a site that is no longer working**
Legend has it that in the 18th Century somewhere in Europe any public display of Christianity was forbidden. They did not allow crosses or Bibles and the Christians were greatly oppressed. One old man, a candy maker by trade, was particularly troubled by this. He loved the Lord with all of his heart and couldn’t stand to not share that love with the world. His heart especially went out to the children when Christmas drew near and no nativity scene (or crèche`) on display in their homes. He prayed for God to show him some way to make Christmas gifts for the children which would teach them the story of Christ.
The answer was the candy cane. The candy cane was in the shape of a shepherd’s staff to show them Jesus is our Shepherd and we are His flock. A sheep follows his own shepherd, knows his voice, and trusts him and knows that he is totally safe with him. The sheep will follow no other shepherd but their own. This is how we are to be with Jesus if we truly follow Him (John 10:11; Psalm 23:1; Isaiah 40:11)
Upside down the candy cane was a “J”, the first letter of Jesus’ name. (Luke 1:31) It was made of hard candy to remind us that Christ is the rock of our salvation. The wide red stripes on the candy cane were to represent the blood He shed on the cross for each one of us so that we can have eternal life through Him. He redeems us and cleanses us with His shed blood – the only thing that can wash away our sin. (Luke 22:20).
The white stripes on a candy cane represented the virgin birth, sinless life and purity of our Lord. He is the only human being who ever lived on this earth who never committed a single sin. Even though He was tempted just as we are, He never sinned. (I Peter: 22) The three narrow red stripes on candy canes symbolized that by His stripes, or wounds, we are healed and the Trinity – the Father, Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit. Before the crucifixion Jesus was beaten; the crown of thorns was placed on His head; His back was raw from the whip. We are healed by those wounds. He bore our sorrows and by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:3) The flavoring in the candy cane was peppermint, which is similar to hyssop. Hyssop is of the mint family and was used in Old Testament times for purification and sacrifice just as Jesus sacrificed His life for ours. (John 19:29; Psalm 51:7).
The old candy maker told them that when we break our candy cane it reminds us that Jesus’ body was broken for us. When we have communion it is a reminder of what He did for us. (I Cor. 11:24) If we share our candy cane and give some to someone else in love because we want to, it represents that same love of Jesus because He is to be shared with one another in love. ( I John 4:7,8) God gave Himself to us when He sent Jesus. He loved us so much He wants us to spend eternal life with Him… which we can do if we accept Jesus in our hearts as Savior and Lord. ( John 1:12; John 3:3,16) Some people believe this story of the candy cane is just a legend. Others believe it really happened. We do not know for sure exactly how the candy cane was invented, but there is one thing for certain… it is an excellent picture of Christ and His love for you.
Like the candy maker, I think it’s important to celebrate Christmas with or without the usual customs and traditions. The simple truth is, it is important to share our Christian faith with future generations and to teach them that Christians will not let evil people oppress their faith. They will find a way to display the gospel of Christ in remembering His birth, life, and death.
1. Do you buy candy canes for Christmas? If so, do you choose the traditional peppermint version or one of the newer flavors? We always have the traditional peppermint candy canes on hand each Christmas.
2. What is your favorite recipe which incorporates candy canes or peppermint candy/flavoring? One of my favorite things to do for Christmas is to hang a miniature candy cane inside my cup of hot chocolate. It not only looks pretty but adds a hint of peppermint to my cocoa. I also love to make peppermint lattes. When the children were small, I made peppermint bark which we called Christmas Snow Crust. I made home-made red and green peppermint hard candies, which I cracked and stirred into melted white chocolate, then spread it onto a cookie sheet. This is a simple and fun recipe. Another recipe I have not made in a long time is homemade peppermint marshmallows. I hope to make a batch this year.
Here’s cool idea, give a box of candy canes with the legend of the candy cane attached. Click
here to get a printable tag.
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Candy canes are such a classic Christmas treat… I never knew the “legend” behind them but I am fascinated by it.
I love hanging the traditional peppermint candy canes on my tree and am also a fan of putting them in my hot chocolate…
Clever post for the letter “C”!
Thanks for linking.
A+
Love that story, thank you for sharing. It makes candy canes that more special to me now.
I haven’t heard this in years. Thanks for the memory jog.
Cathy, I have absolutely never heard this story, and I have been hanging candy canes on my Christmas tree for decades! Thanks for the info!!
I like candy canes to look at and give out more than to eat. 🙂 What a cool discovery about the candy cane Cathy! Now that I look at your image, I can see what you mean. 🙂
I never knew that the candy cane was so tied with the name Jesus. I always looked at the candy in the opposite direction, hanging from a Christmas tree! So interesting. I don’t buy them, but I know many people who do! {:-Deb
I’ve known the story of the candy cane for many years — we always put one in the kid’s stockings when they were young and also hung them on the Christmas tree. They used to make little cards in Mother’s Day Out with a shortened version and one of the tiny candy canes. I don’t buy them now, but if I did it would surely be the original red and white ones!
Interesting story ! I know that the Christmas tree comes from a pagan costume and came from Germany. I wonder in which European country Christianity was forbidden in 18th century. I know that in Russia and the Eastern countries since WW II Christianity was forbidden until the wall fell down, but that’s more recent then the 18th century.
I love this story…..or I should say, likely true tale. It’s so neat to discover something that we thought as “pagan” actually has roots in deep faith.
I always have candy canes – the traditional kind – on my tree, and whenever someone visits over Christmas, they take a candy cane off the tree before they leave.
My favourite candy cane recipe is Divinity Fudge with crushed peppermint candy cane on top — I have the recipe on my blog today. But weather conditions have to be perfect to make this fudge, so it is a rare treat. We will do the peppermint bark too instead.
And naturally, we stir our hot cocoa with candy canes too. And I have had one Starbuck’s peppermint latte so far during my Christmas shopping spree.
Thank Goodness our town is too small to have our own Starbucks! ha
I’ve read this before, and always find it a very good story to pass on.
Wonderfully informative post about the candy cane for C ~ thanks, carol, xxx
Very interesting and informative Cathy! I love candy canes and buy them almost every Christmas. They are beautiful and taste great! Thanks for hosting and have a wonderful Thursday.