The US produces 1.76 billion candy canes each year. Coming in all different flavors and styles, candy canes are sure to brighten your holidays. But why are these J shaped red and white striped candies so popular? Some teachers give these out without worrying about allergies and keep kids quiet, and some parents want to give their kids a sweet treat to enjoy. But where do striped candies come from? Candy canes have iconic red and white lines that have a story behind them. Let’s see what some of our classmates think.
The Legend has it that candy canes go back to 1670, when the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany handed out sugar sticks to the younger children to keep them quiet during the Living Creche ceremony, since it was a special event, he bent the candies into shepherds’ staffs.
“I have tried the original peppermint candy canes and fruity ones, lemon, lime, all kinds. I prefer the original ones, the other ones taste like any other candy, but the peppermint ones are more special and remind me of Christmas,” said Emily Moran.
As newer, fruitier flavors hit the market, the traditional peppermint flavor has always been the classic, popular type. We hold this certain flavor close to our hearts, relating it to our childhoods. We put it in Hot chocolate, coffee, toothpaste, mouthwash, chewing gum, shampoo, and soap. The peppermint flavor has had a long history of being staples of many manufacturing industries, that we can notice everywhere. We can be sure this flavor will not die out anytime soon.
“I have had all sorts of blues, my favorite is red and white because it has a good color shade, it looks very pleasing and something that you would eat,” said Lavezz Harry.
We explained to him that the three red stripes stand for trinity (Jesus is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Red represents Jesus’ blood when he died on the cross for our sins, the white was when he was born how he is perfect. The J stands for Jesus, or some folktales say it symbolizes shepherd’s staff. Levezz understands the significance behind the color and shape now, he enjoys candy canes even more.
Candy canes bring joy to the holiday season. Every flavor, size, shape and style are loved and appreciated. There is nothing quite like the traditional candy cane. All people are excited to open their stockings on Christmas morning, and nothing is better than the iconic red and white candy canes.