The Candy Cane     

by Michael Allen Gates       


   
Who made the first Candy Cane? A candy maker in Indiana? Protesters during the English reign of Oliver Cromwell? A choirmaster in Cologne, Germany? All three of these explanation and many others have been put forward over the years, but which one is the truth?

The history of that sweet piece of sugared candy we call the Candy Cane is shrouded in silence. One can find many different stories floating around about the origin of the Candy Cane, but these stories either speak of an "unknown candy maker", placing stress on the where it was first made (every place except the moon has been named) or go over board telling of how the shape and colors supposedly speak volumes about Christ. Who made the first candy cane? I don't know.  There are however many stories that can be discarded as false. The following is a recount of my journey to find the first candy cane.


A Christian’s Search

Being a Christian I have always had an interest in anything that has to do with Jesus Christ.  The holiday of Christmas is a favorite of mine since it serves as a reminder of how Jesus came into this world.  The last few years however has seen Jesus being pushed more an more out of Christmas. I began my journey by trying to find out what things should be mentioned at Christmas and what should not.  One item however escaped mention in every book that I looked in for the history of Christmas, and that was the "Candy Cane."


Unknown Candy Maker

In my own personal files I found a story about a candy maker who was said to have made the candy cane out of love for Jesus. This was a great history I thought to myself. Yet, something didn't seem right.  The story was vague, no place, no date, no name for the candy maker. I looked on for more information.


Indiana Candy Maker

Soon I found more about this unknown candy maker. He was from Indiana. A friend who knew I was searching found obtained a copy of the candy cane story for me.  The story was the same as the one before, except it said the candy maker was from Indiana. Was this then the answer I sought? No. I had found something I already knew.  People can be dishonest, even when trying to do good.  Individuals were simply retyping the story and adding details to it, such as their own state. One company has even been making a profit by selling the Indiana fable to Christian booksellers as the truth in the form of label pins and bookmarkers. Candy Canes have been around longer than the state of Indiana had been around. Guess they didn't check it out to see if it was true.

I decided to go to the New Matamoras, Ohio library and seek their aid. Though they had no books on the subject, they did send out a request to other libraries for help. One article turned up from The Ledger-Star, Norfolk, Virginia, dated November 26, 1957.


Cologne Cathedral Choir Master

The Ledger-Star article told of how the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany had made the first candy cane for a church service in 1670. The story said that the candy had been a white stick, until the choirmaster bent it in the shape of a shepherd's staff for a special Christmas service. It was to be a treat for the children.

Now I had the true story, didn't I?. Maybe, maybe not.  I contacted the German Embassy in Washington, D.C. and asked them to get a letter for me to the Cologne Cathedral. The German Embassy came through for me and in a month I had a letter back. The records at Cologne Germany contained no information about Candy Canes. The story might be true or it might be false, the church historian didn't know. It does seem strange that the only source for this information is a single American newspaper article.



Bob’s Candies

I kept searching. I wrote candy company after candy company, but none had the answer. Bob's candy company did quite a bit of searching on their own, but they too came up empty handed. Bob's did not have a copy of the Ledger-Star article so I sent them one along with my research showing it's fallacies. Bob's ignored my research and today seems content to twist the truth by sharing the Ledger-Star article as a true account.



Cromwell’s Candy

Then came a story about the candy came having been used during the time of Oliver Cromwell (1653-1658). The story tells of an unknown candy maker who made the candy cane because Christmas had been outlawed and all the symbols that went with it. Again no name, and the story even has a great flaw in describing the candy cane. It mentions the stripes. No candy cane had stripes before the year nineteen hundred.

No one knows for sure how the familiar pattern of stripes we see on candy canes today came about.  Christmas cards before 1900 show candy canes as plain white, after 1900 with stripes. They were also scarce and hand made until 1952 when Bob's Candy Company began using a machine to mass produce the sweets.

So, no proof here.  A grain of truth maybe?  I cannot find any supporting documentation except, the fact that Cromwell did live, and some did fight over whether to have Christmas or not. However, no one mentions the candy cane when they talk about this in the history books.


America’s First Candy Cane

The Ledger-Star article mentioned before had also given me another vague bit of information, not on the origins, but the use of the candy cane in America. The article said that the first American use of the candy cane dated back to 1847 when a German-Swedish immigrant by the name of August Imgard, of Wooster, Ohio made some candy canes and used them to decorate a Christmas tree.  Still the cane had no colors, only the bend of the shepherd crook.

I decided to check out this story. I wrote to the Wayne County Public Library. A lady by the name of Bonnie Knox responded. She had no information on the story I had sent her about Imgard and the candy cane. She did however make me doubt the Ledgers facts.  Bonnie, who has greatly researched the life of August Imgard, sent me information about him that showing how his life had been distorted in the past by other Christmas rumors.

A rumor began several years ago stating that Imgard was the first to have a Christmas tree in America. Did Imgard have the first Christmas Tree in America? No, that was Charles Follen at Cambridge, Mass. Then it was reported that Imgard was the first in Ohio to have a Christmas Tree.  No, the first Christmas Tree in Ohio was one put on display in Cincinnati in 1836. We will however give Imgard the honor of being the first with a Christmas tree in Wayne County, Ohio.

So could the man who was a victim of one rumor about a tree, also be the victim of a rumor about candy canes? This seems to be what has happened. The Ledger-Star article seems to have been wrong on almost everything. We may never know exactly how this these rumors started, unless new information comes to light.

The latest copies of the Candy Cane story that have come my way are just distortions of previous legends. One was simply a copy of the unknown candy maker story reprinted with the name Computer Sensations at the bottom, the other was a version of the unknown candy maker from England. There was a new twist this time. Rather than happening at the time of Cromwell, it was said to have happened in the 7th century. My encyclopedia however tells me that it was not till the middle ages that candy making was known in England. The search continues.



What’s New In False Legends

December of 1996 and 1997 saw the falsehoods surrounding the candy cane legends strengthened by two books that came into print. These two books basically reprinted some of the material that I shared with Bob's Candy Cane Company, though I get no credit for having done the research. Credit may not be something I want, since the material has been corrupted into something other than the truth.

The book "A Treasury of Christmas Stories" by Webb Garrison.  Garrison writes that "tradition has it some of the candies were put to use in Cologne Cathedral about 1670..." I have shown already in this article that the Cologne Cathedral knows of no such tradition and that this report is only found in one newspaper article. Bob's Candy gave this information out as true, even though they knew that the Cologne Cathedral had denounced the news article.

August Imgard is also falsely accredited here with using the candy cane. Once again I refer you to the earlier portion of this article. Imgard in his own home area is not known for using the candy cane and is known for being the victim of a false Christmas tree rumor.

A second book came out in late 1997 by the title of "The Legend of the Candy Cane, The Inspirational Story of Our Favorite Christmas Candy" by Lori Walburg. The book recounts a fictional story of someone using the candy cane to teach about Jesus Christ. The last page of the book  is entitled "The History of the Candy Cane". It too is a fictional story. The material seems to be straight from the misleading information that Bob's candies is putting out.

The Cologne Cathedral is once again given credit for using the candy  cane. A story the church historian at the Cathedral has no record as being true. A "German-Swedish immigrant in Wooster, Ohio" is also present as having used the candy cane, when in reality he did not.  Even the vague rumor that it was an Indiana candymaker is thrown in as a possibility, to further cloud the issue.



Final Thoughts

So as you can see, many different tales have been written in the last few years claiming that the candy cane was made just, to speak of Christ. It's a nice thought, but we really have no idea what was in the mind of the unknown "designers" of the now familiar candy cane. Yes, "designers", since it seems that the candy cane was really designed little by little over hundreds of years, with the improvements people liked best remaining. No grand design to speak about Christ, no plan by a single candy maker.

There is nothing wrong however with making a comparison.  We can say that the crook of the candy cane is like a shepherd's staff, and that the three red stripes resemble the blood of Christ and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But to go beyond a comparison and say that the candy cane was made for just this reason, is just more than the facts will allow.

So watch out this Christmas when you begin to hear all those stories about the "great meaning" of the Candy Cane. It's far better to make a simple comparison that glorifies Jesus, than to spend time witnessing about Jesus by using some made up fable about an unknown candy maker. Besides, do we really need to tell a lie to speak of our wonderful saviour, Jesus Christ? Here's to truth. Enjoy your candy.




Various Legends About the Candy Cane


This collection of legends shows the many
contradictory stories that are circulating
about the Candy Cane.

< The following legend involving the candy cane was given to me by my neighbor. She was given the passage by a member of her church in New Matamoras, Ohio, who in turn received it from a relative in Texas, who got it from a Cub Scout Den mother, who.. >

England under Oliver Cromwell's reign (1653-1658) was a harsh time for those who were not of the proscribed doctrine. All religious articles were forbidden and Christmas was not to be celebrated. An unknown candy maker decided to create a symbol of Christmas that would be secret.  He shaped the candy like a shepherd's crook to remind the faithful of Christ as the shepherd of men.  The candy was red for sacrifice and white for purity and the candy maker twisted it so that the colors became stripes. There are, however, two kinds of red stripes. Three thin lines represented the Trinity and the birth of Jesus Christ. And in those times, if one should be found with one of these symbols, it was easily disposable. Late Twentieth Century Christmases find us still enjoying the candy cane as part of our Christmas tradition. An endearing as this legend is, the truth passed down through nearly 350 years is that even in times of persecution and hiding people will find ways to celebrate the birth of Christ.

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< "A Candymaker_s Witness" exists in many different versions, sometimes with major changes, other times minor changes.>


A Candymaker's Witness

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

He began with a stick pure white, hard candy. White to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus; and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the Church and firmness of the promises of God.

The candymaker made the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Saviour. It could also represent the staff of the "Good Shepherd" with which He reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray.

Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candymaker stained it with red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life.

Unfortunately, the candy became known as a candy cane - a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas time.  But the meaning is still there for those who "have eyes to see and ears to hear." I pray that this symbol will again be used to witness TO THE WONDER OF JESUS AND HIS GREAT LOVE that came down at Christmas and remains the ultimate and dominate force in the universe today.

-----------------

<No part of this article has checked out so far to be true. >

NORFOLK, V.A.
LEDGER-STAR

NOV. 26, 1957

Who Put Crook In Candy Cane?

While no one has been able to find out exactly who put the gay  stripes on the traditional Christmas candy cane,  historians  nevertheless do record who it was who put the crook  at the end of it. It seems that Christmas candy canes  started out some 350 years ago as a mere straight white sugar, reports a candy maker. These sugar cane sticks were used  by harried mothers as children's pacifiers. The  straight white canes remained in that shape until 1670 when a major change occurred. 

It happened at the Cologne Cathedral in connection with the living crèche celebration.  To hold the attention of the fidgety young children attending the lengthy ceremony, the choirmaster passed out white sugar sticks bent at the end to represent a shepherd's crook. These the children sucked in blissful silence. From Cologne the practice spread throughout Europe till living crèche ceremonies everywhere were accompanied by "souvenir" sugar shepherd's crooks. And in well-to-do congregations the souvenir crooks sugar roses. In northern Europe the rose-embellished sugar crook was taken into the home and used as a Yule decoration.
   
The first American use of the candy cane as a Christmas decoration occurred in 1847 when a German-Swedish Immigrant named August Imgard, of Wooster, Ohio, decorated a small blue spruce with paper ornaments and candy canes to entertain his nephews and nieces. His candy canes were much simpler and more streamlined than the European versions. The roses were left off and they were reduced in size so that they might hang more easily on a Yule tree.
     
The traditional candy cane striping was made standard sometime around the turn of this century.  However, no one seems to know exactly who it was who striped the canes the first time. Christmas cards before 1900 depict plain canes, while cards printed after that date clearly indicate stripes.  At about this time, too, peppermint or wintergreen was added as a standard flavor.

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Who made the Candy Cane?

by Michael Allen Gates


The Candy Cane & Christ

There have been many legends in the last few years circulating that present the candy cane as a specially made Christmas candy for Christ. Yet, not one of these legends can be said to be true.

One legend I have says an Indiana Candymaker made the candy cane to represent Christ and another legend says it was  an a candymaker in England in the 1640's who made it as a red  striped candy, bent like a shepherds staff to honor Jesus.  Still a third legend says that it was first made in Germany,  in 1670 at the Cologne Cathedral, from an already existing candy stick, into a white crook shaped candy resembling a shepherd staff for Christ. Which is true and which is false?

The candy cane came before Indiana, the stripes mentioned in the legend of England did not come till around 1900, and the Cologne Cathedral which has the legend with the most details and the best sounding facts, is unknown to the historian at the church. Where did the candy cane come from?

No one seems to know where we really got the Candy Cane. So the origin of the candy cane is surrounded in mystery, yet not a mystery so deep that we cannot still pick up a candy cane and make a nice simple comparison between this sweet treat and our sweet saviour Jesus Christ.


The Witness of the Candy Cane

The origin of the candy cane is surrounded in mystery. No facts readily present themselves to show that the candy cane was ever made purely to show Jesus Christ. Never-the-less, whether by design or by wishful thinking we can still see Christ in the shape and colors of that sweet piece of Christmas candy.

How do we see Christ in the Candy Cane? Do we see him in the crook like shape of the cane, in the red twisting stripes or in the layer of pure white beneath? How do we see Christ in the Candy Cane?

We see our great shepherd Jesus Christ in the shape of the shepherd's crook. It brings to mind those shepherd's who with staff in hand were there the night of Jesus birth. It reminds us, that like the sheep of the field we have a shepherd to watch over and protect us. Who will lift us from the ditch and look for us we when have gone astray.


"For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls."  I Peter 2:25.

The red of the stripes stands out like the drops of blood that must have fell at the foot of Jesus' cross. A deep rich red reminder that Jesus came as a babe so he might grow up and free mankind of the burden of sin by his own death in our place.

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;" Ephesians 1:7.               

Stripes of one large bold line and three fine. A vivid declaration of the Godhead. One God, composed of three, Father, Son & Holy Spirit. With a white base underneath to show the purity of God and how by his death we to are made pure in his sight and worthy to walk with him.

"He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels." Revelation 3:5.

The peppermint flavor reminds us of the taste of hyssop. Hyssop was a plant used for medicinal and religious ceremonies. It speaks to us of the purification that comes by having Christ in our lives and how by his stripes we are healed.

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."  Psalm 51:7.

The candy cane is also a hard candy much like a rock is hard. A hardness that speaks of the firmness of God's promises, of Jesus the Rock who followed the Hebrew children in the wilderness, and the solid rock upon which the church is built. We think of him whose body was broken for us upon the cross so that the partition wall between us and God might broken, much like a candy cane dropped upon the ground.

"For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;" Ephesians 2:17.


One may turn the candy cane upside down and find what looks to be the letter "J" for Jesus. Though some would tell you that they simply see a fish hook to remind us that Jesus came to be the fisher of men's souls.

"And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men."  Mark 1:17.

So whatever you see in the candy cane this Christmas season that reminds you of Christ is a treasure to cherish. For though we cannot say that the candy cane was made for Christ, we can never-the-less see Christ in the Candy Cane.

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Copyright 1996-2007 Michael Allen Gates.

MichaelGates@msn.com

This article may not reproduced without written permission.