Earlier, candy canes were shaped like a shepherd`s crook as a symbol of Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd. The symbol of the shepherd`s crook is an ancient one, representing the humble shepherds who were first to worship the newborn Christ. The white color of the Christmas candy symbolizes the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus.He used the pure white color originally to symbolize purity and virginity of Mother Mary, and the sinless nature of Jesus Christ and his perfect life.
The hardness of the candy symbolizes the solid rock, the foundation of churches and the firmness of the promises made by God. The candies are made in a "J" shape to represent the name of Jesus and the shape of the staff of the "Good Shepherd".Later in the early 20th century, the three small red stripes and one large red stripe were introduced to represent the stripes of the scourging Jesus and the bloodshed by Christ on the Cross.
Candy canes have been around for centuries, but it wasn`t until around 1900 that they were decorated with red stripes and bent into the shape of a cane. They were sometimes handed out during church services to keep the children quiet.
One story that is often told about the origin of the candy cane is as follows:
In the late 1800`s a candy maker in Indiana wanted to express the meaning of Christmas through a symbol made of candy. He came up with the idea of bending one of his white candy sticks into the shape of a Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols of Christ`s love and sacrifice through the Candy Cane. First, he used a plain white peppermint stick. The color white symbolizes the purity and sinless nature of Jesus. Next, he added three small stripes to symbolize the pain inflicted upon Jesus before His death on the cross. There are three of them to represent the Holy Trinity. He added a bold stripe to represent the blood Jesus shed for mankind. When looked at with the crook on top, it looks like a shepherd`s staff because Jesus is the shepherd of man. If you turn it upside down, it becomes the letter J symbolizing the first letter in Jesus` name. The candy maker made these candy canes for Christmas, so everyone would remember what Christmas is all about.
Modern Christian Symbolism
|
| Candy Cane |
Jesus |
| Hard candy |
because jesus is our rock |
| White |
purity
|
| Red stripes |
Christ`s blood
|
| Green Stripes |
everlasting life in Him
|
| Thick stripe |
His sacrifice, His death
|
| 3 thin stripes |
trinity, our own sacrifices , the lashes Jesus took for our sins
|
| Peppermint |
remind us of the spices offered to the christ child, part of hyssop family
|
| Shape |
shepherd`s staff, "J" for Jesus |
