Candy cane

cane-shaped stick candy

A candy cane is a hard cane-shaped candy stick. It is usually white with red stripes and tastes like peppermint. It is also made in many other flavors and colors. The candy cane is a traditional candy of the Christmas holiday in the United States, but you can find them during the rest of the year. It is a symbolic figure in the Christmas season.

Two candy canes

In the 17th century, white sticks of candy were popular, but they were not colorful.[1] According to legend, a choir leader in Germany asked the people that made the candy to bend the sticks so that they looked like shepherd's staffs. He then gave the candy canes to the children to keep them quiet during church services.[2] The colors are also said to be symbolic. The white part represents purity, and the red represents the blood of Jesus.

References

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  1. "Candy Canes and Silver Lanes: The Invention of a Holiday Favorite". inventhelp.com. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  2. Garrison, Webb. Treasury of Christmas Stories. Nashville: Rutledge Hill Press, 1990. ISBN 1-55-853087-8.