Mark's Notebook


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The (Urban) Legend of the Candy Cane

Sunday 11 December 2005, 2:00 pm
Keywords: Christian Topics

Claim: Candy canes were created to symbolize Jesus, their shape representing the letter "J" and their colors standing for the purity and blood of Christ.

Status: False.

Example:

A candymaker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols from the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ.

In fact, the strongest connection one can make between the origins of the candy cane and intentional Christian symbolism is to note that legend says someone took an existing form of candy which was already being used as a Christmas decoration (i.e., straight white sticks of sugar candy) and produced bent versions which represented a shepherd's crook and were handed out to children at church to ensure their good behavior.

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/candycane.asp

Mark's Notebook

The (Urban) Legend of the Candy Cane

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