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A candy cane is a hard cane-shaped candy stick. It is traditionally white with red stripes and flavored with peppermint or cinnamon (also known respectively as a peppermint stick or cinnamon stick); however, it is also made in a variety of other flavors and may be decorated with stripes of different colors and thicknesses. The candy cane is a traditional candy surrounding the Christmas holiday, particularly in the Western world, although it is possible to find them throughout the year.^{[citation needed]}

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Modern reinterpretations

There is a modern allegorical tradition that reinterprets the candy cane's shape as a "J", standing for Jesus Christ. The stripes are said to represent his sacrifice, with the red being blood, and the white being purity. However, there does not seem to be any historical information to support any claim that the cane was originally made with this allegory in mind.^[1]

Other uses of the pattern

Candy cane stripes have been used as a daymark for lighthouses. See White Shoal Light. Indeed, the phrase "Candy stripe" is a generic description of the candy cane color scheme.

Notes

^ Snopes, Origins, paragraphs 1-4

References

InventHelp - Candy Cane and Silver Lanes - The Invention of a Holiday Favorite. Retrieved 2009-01-07
Snopes - Mikkelson, Barbara - Candy cane urban legend Retrieved 2009-01-07 Snopes.com
Bob's Candy - Old Time Candy Company - Bobs Candy Retrieved 2009-01-07
Candy USA - National Confectioners Association - Candy Canes Retrieved 2009-01-07
Discovery News - Viegas, Jennifer, Candy Canes Fight Germs, Settle Stomachs Retrieved 2009-01-07

External links

Candy Cane, Answers.com
History of Candy Canes, About.com
Images of Candy Canes, Wikimedia Commons

[1] Snopes, Origins, paragraphs 1-4

[1]

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 A '''candy cane''' is a hard [[Cane (tool)|cane]]-shaped [[candy]] stick. It is traditionally [[white (color)|white]] with [[red]] [[stripe]]s and flavored with [[peppermint]] or [[cinnamon]] (also known respectively as a '''peppermint stick''' or '''cinnamon stick'''); however, it is also made in a variety of other flavors and may be decorated with stripes of different colors and thicknesses.  The candy cane is a traditional candy surrounding the [[Christmas]] holiday, particularly in the [[Western world]], although it is possible to find them throughout the year.{{Fact|date=January 2009}} <!-- Ok, I admit it...I'm too lazy to find a source just now -->
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-==Origins==
-In its early form, the candy cane began as a simple white stick of [[sugar]] for [[children]] to enjoy - there was no "cane" shape or stripes to speak of.  While it is uncertain where the first canes originated, it is clear that by the mid-17th century, if not earlier, its use had already become widespread across [[Europe]].<ref>InventHelp, paragraph 2</ref><ref>Snopes, heading "Origins", paragraphs 6-8</ref>  These sticks were made by [[confectioner]]s who had to pull, cut, twist, and (in later years) bend the sugar sticks by hand, making it a time-intensive process.  Candy cane production had to be done locally, since they were easily damaged and vulnerable to moisture.<ref>InventHelp, paragraph 6</ref> The labor and lack of storage combined to make these candies relatively hard to get, although popular. <ref>InventHelp, paragraph 2, 6</ref>
-===The cane shape===
-The distinctive "hook" shape associated with candy canes is traditionally credited to a choirmaster at [[Cologne Cathedral]] in [[Germany]], who, legend has it, in 1670 bent straight [[candy stick]]s into canes to represent a [[shepherd]]'s crook, and gave them to children at church services.<ref>Snopes, Origins, paragraph 6</ref>  The shepherd's staff is often used in [[Christianity]] as a metaphor for [[The Good Shepherd (Christianity)|The Good Shepherd Jesus Christ]].  It is also possible that, as people decorated their [[Yule]] trees with food, the bent candy cane was invented as a functional solution.<ref>Snopes, Origins, paragraphs 6-8</ref>
-===Christmas usage===
-In Europe candy canes were used to decorate [[Yule]] trees along with other items of food.<ref>Snopes, Origins, paragraph 7</ref>
-In [[North America]], the first documented example of the use of candy canes to celebrate Christmas occurred in 1847, when a German-Swedish immigrant by the name of [[August Imgard]] hung the candy canes from the branches of a [[Christmas tree]].  Christmas cards from the following decades show Christmas trees decorated with candy canes, first white canes, then striped ones in the 20th century.  This then spread to the rest of the continent, where it continues to remain a popular [[Christmas]] tradition.<ref>InventHelp, paragraph 5</ref>
-Candy canes are primarily used as a decoration for [[Christmas tree]]s.  This is done by using the "hook" shape of the candy cane to hang them on branches of the Christmas tree.  A single tree can have many candy canes.
-===Red stripes and peppermint flavor===
-The stripes are made similar in fashion to a [[barber pole|barber's pole]], with the red stripes twisting around the white stick of sugar.<ref>Candy USA, "How Are Candy Canes Made?"</ref>  These signature stripes did not become part of the candy cane until the 20th century.<ref>InventHelp, paragraph 5</ref><ref>Snopes, Origins, paragraph 4-5</ref>.  It is uncertain who first started using the stripes, but evidence of their use only appears after the turn of the century.  At around this time, candy makers began using [[peppermint]] as a flavor.<ref>InventHelp, paragraph 5</ref>
-===Mass production===
-[[Bob's Candies]] was the first company to successfully mass-produce and distribute candy canes while preserving their freshness.  [[Bob McCormack|Lt. Bob McCormack]] began making candy canes as special Christmas treats in the 1920s.<ref>InventHelp, paragraphs 7-8</ref>  That decade also saw the company's use of [[cellophane]] as a wrapping to keep moisture from damaging the candies, and by the 1950s, they were using a candy cane machine invented by his brother-in-law [[Gregory Keller]] to mass-produce them.  These two inventions made it feasible to mass produce, ship, and distribute candy canes.<ref>InventHelp, paragraph 8</ref>  The following years saw further refinements in packaging and design to protect the candies from being broken, making it more practical to store them and ship them for longer periods of time.<ref>Bobs Candy, paragraph 3</ref>
 ==Modern reinterpretations==