Candy cane - wikipedia Candy cane Candy Cane A traditional candy cane Alternative names Santa 's cane Peppermint stick Type Confectionery Place of origin Germany Main ingredients Sugar, flavoring ( often peppermint ) Cookbook : Candy Cane Media : Candy Cane A candy cane is a cane - shaped stick candy often associated with Christmastide, as well as Saint Nicholas Day. It is traditionally white with red stripes and flavored with peppermint, but may also be a variety of other flavors and colors. Contents 1 Origin 2 Candy cane production 3 Use during Saint Nicholas Day 4 In popular culture 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Origin An early 1900s Christmas card image of candy canes According to folklore, in 1670, in Cologne, Germany, the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral, wishing to remedy the noise caused by children in his church during the Living Crèche tradition of Christmas Eve, asked a local candy maker for some `` sugar sticks '' for them. In order to justify the practice of giving candy to children during worship services, he asked the candy maker to add a crook to the top of each stick, which would help children remember the shepherds who visited the infant Jesus. In addition, he used the white colour of the converted sticks to teach children about the Christian belief in the sinless life of Jesus. From Germany, candy canes spread to other parts of Europe, where they were handed out during plays reenacting the Nativity. As such, according to this legend, the candy cane became associated with Christmastide. The earliest verifiable reference to stick candy is a record of the 1837 Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, where confections were judged competitively. A recipe for straight peppermint candy sticks, white with coloured stripes, was published in 1844. The `` candy cane '' is found in literature in 1866, though no description of color or flavor was provided. Its earliest known association with Christmas was in 1874, and by 1882 canes were being hung on Christmas trees. Candy cane Candy cane production As with other forms of stick candy, the earliest canes were manufactured by hand. Chicago confectioners the Bunte Brothers filed one of the earliest patents for candy cane making machines in the early 1920s. In 1919 in Albany, Georgia, Robert McCormack began making candy canes for local children and by the middle of the century, his company ( originally the Famous Candy Company, then the Mills - McCormack Candy Company, and later Bobs Candies ) had become one of the world 's leading candy cane producers. Candy cane manufacturing initially required a fair bit of labor that limited production quantities ; the canes had to be bent manually as they came off the assembly line to create their curved shape and breakage often ran over 20 percent. McCormack 's brother - in - law, Gregory Harding Keller, was a seminary student in Rome who spent his summers working in the candy factory back home. In 1957, Keller, as an ordained Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Little Rock, patented his invention, the Keller Machine, which automated the process of twisting soft candy into spiral striping and cutting it into precise lengths as candy canes. Use during Saint Nicholas Day In Saint Nicholas Day celebrations, candy canes are given to children as they are also said to represent the crosier of the Christian bishop, Saint Nicholas ; crosiers allude to the Good Shepherd, a title associated with Jesus. In popular culture American rock band The White Stripes released the song `` Candy Cane Children '' in 2002. Their `` Icky Thump '' ( 2007 ) also mentions the candy cane. Member Jack White has expressed the band 's fondness of peppermints and the color scheme of red and white in interviews. See also Polkagris References ^ Jump up to : Hartel, Richard W. ; Hartel, AnnaKate ( 28 March 2014 ). Candy Bites : The Science of Sweets. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 53. ISBN 9781461493839. Retrieved 8 January 2015. The candy cane is said to have its origins at Christmas time in Germany circa 1670. A church choirmaster in Cologne gave sticks of hard candy with a crook at the end to the children in his choir to keep them quiet during long Christmas services. ^ Jump up to : American Christmas Tree Journal. National Christmas Tree Association. 2005. p. 40. St. Nicholas Day is celebrated on the anniversary of his death in 343 A.D. The candy cane is said to represent the crozier, or bishop 's staff, of St. Nicholas. ^ Jump up to : R.O. Parker ( 19 October 2001 ). Introduction to Food Science. Delmar. Retrieved 17 December 2011. In 1670, the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral gave sugar sticks to his young singers to keep them quiet during the long Living Crèche ceremony. In honor of the occasion, he had the candies bent into the shepherds crooks. In 1847, a German - Swedish immigrant named August Imgard of Wooster, Ohio, decorated a small pine tree with paper ornaments and candy canes. ^ Jump up to : Helen Haidle ( 2002 ). Christmas Legends to Remember. David C. Cook. Retrieved 17 December 2011. Around 1670, a choirmaster of a cathedral in Cologne, Germany, handed out sugar sticks to his young singers. At Christmas, in honor of the birth of Jesus, the choirmaster bent the sugar sticks at one end, forming the shape of a shepherd 's crook. These white candy canes helped keep the children quiet during the long Christmas Eve Nativity service. From Germany, the use of candy shepherds ' staffs spread across Europe, where plays of the Christmas Nativity were accompanied by gifts of the sweet `` shepherds ' crooks. '' ^ Jump up to : Ace Collins ( 20 April 2010 ). Great Traditions of Christmas. Zondervan. Retrieved 17 December 2011. Church history records that in 1670 the choirmaster at Germany 's Cologne Cathedral was faced with a problem that still challenges parents, teachers, and choir directors today. In ancient Cologne, as well as in thousands of churches today, the children in the choir often grew restless and noisy during the long services. He sought out a local candy maker, and after looking over the treats in his shop, the music leader paused in front of some white sweet sticks. Yet the choirmaster wondered if the priests and parents would allow him to give the children in his choir candy to eat during a church service. The choirmaster asked the candy maker if he could bend the sticks and make a crook at the top of each one. The candy would not be just a treat ; it would be a teaching tool. The choirmaster decided that the candy 's pure white color would represent the purity of Christ. The crook would serve as a way for the children to remember the story of the shepherds who came to visit the baby Jesus. The shepherds carried staffs or canes, and with the hook at the top of the stick, the candy now looked like a cane. ^ Jump up to : It 's Christmas Season : My, How Sweet It Is !. The Milwaukee Journal. 13 December 1968. Retrieved 20 December 2011. In 1670, a choirmaster at Germany 's Cologne cathedral bent the ends of some sugar sticks to represent shepherds ' crooks, and distributed them to youngsters. The practice spread. Jump up ^ The Exhibitions and Fairs of Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association. 1 - 5 ( 1837 - 1847 ). Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association. 1837. p. 25. Retrieved 12 December 2008. Jump up ^ The complete confectioner, pastry... -- Eleanor Parkinson -- Google Books. Books.google.ca. Retrieved 2011 - 12 - 12. Jump up ^ Ballou 's monthly magazine -- Google Books. Books.google.ca. 1977 - 04 - 29. Retrieved 2011 - 12 - 12. Jump up ^ The Nursery -- Google Books. Books.google.ca. Retrieved 2011 - 12 - 12. Jump up ^ Babyland -- Charles Stuart Pratt -- Google Books. Books.google.ca. 2004 - 06 - 30. Retrieved 2011 - 12 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Patent US1680440 -- CANDY - FORMING MACHINE -- Google Patents ''. Google. Retrieved 2011 - 12 - 12. Jump up ^ http://www.google.com/patents/US2956520 Jump up ^ `` '' Bobs Candies `` ''. georgiaencyclopedia.org. Jump up ^ Karambai, Sebastian S. ( 1 January 2005 ). Ministers and Ministries in the Local Church : A Comprehensive Guide to Ecclesiastical Norms. The Bombay Saint Paul Society. p. 41. ISBN 9788171097258. Retrieved 8 January 2015. The crosier ( pastoral staff ) is the symbol of the office of the Good Shepherd, who watches over and leads with care the flock entrusted to him by the Holy Spirit. Jump up ^ Webb, Val ( 30 September 2010 ). Stepping Out with the Sacred. A&C Black. p. 79. ISBN 9781441196422. Retrieved 8 January 2015. The image of Jesus as the good shepherd spoke volumes to the early Church as a metaphor for Divine care such that bishops, in time, carried a shepherd 's crook ( crosier ) with its hooked end to symbolize `` pastoral '' care ( pastoral meaning `` of or relating to shepherds or herders '' ) -- interestingly, the hook on some crosiers ends in a snake 's head. Jump up ^ `` THE WHITE STRIPES ''. whitestripes.net. Jump up ^ Fricke, David ( 2005 ). `` White on White ''. Rolling Stone. External links Media related to Candy canes at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of candy cane at Wiktionary Christmas Christmas Eve Children 's Day Boxing Day Nochebuena Saint Nicholas Day St. Stephen 's Day Sol Invictus Yule In Christianity Biblical Magi Adoration of the Magi Adoration of the Shepherds Advent Angel Gabriel Annunciation Annunciation to the shepherds Baptism of the Lord Bethlehem Christingle Christmastide Epiphany Herod the Great Jesus Joseph Mary Massacre of the Innocents flight into Egypt Nativity Fast Nativity of Jesus in art in later culture Nativity scene Saint Nicholas Star of Bethlehem Twelfth Night In folklore Badalisc La Befana Belsnickel Caganer Christkind Ded Moroz Elves Father Christmas Grýla Jack Frost Joulupukki Knecht Ruprecht Korvatunturi Krampus Mikulás Miner 's figure Mrs. Claus Nisse / Tomte North Pole Old Man Winter Olentzero Père Fouettard Père Noël Rudolph the Red - Nosed Reindeer Saint Lucy Santa 's reindeer Santa 's workshop Sinterklaas Tió de Nadal Vertep Yule Cat Yule Lads Zwarte Piet Gift - bringers Saint Nicholas Santa Claus List of Christmas gift - bringers by country Traditions Advent calendar Advent candle Advent wreath Boar 's Head Feast Candle arches Cards Carols by Candlelight Cavalcade of Magi Crackers Decorations Events and celebrations Feast of the Seven Fishes Flying Santa Google Santa Tracker Hampers Las Posadas Letters Lights Lord of Misrule Markets Meals and feasts Moravian star Nine Lessons and Carols NORAD Tracks Santa Nutcrackers dolls Ornaments Parades list Piñatas Pyramids Räuchermann Seals Secret Santa Spanbaum Stamps Stockings Tree Twelve Days Wassailing Windows Yule Goat Yule log By country Australia and New Zealand Denmark Germany Hawaii Hungary Iceland Indonesia Ireland Mexico Norway Philippines Poland Romania Russia Scotland Serbia Sweden Ukraine Music Carols list Hit singles UK Hit singles US Music books Carols for Choirs The Oxford Book of Carols The New Oxford Book of Carols Piae Cantiones Other media Films Poetry `` Old Santeclaus with Much Delight '' `` A Visit from St. Nicholas '' Television specials Yule Log In modern society Advent Conspiracy Black Friday ( partying ) Black Friday ( shopping ) Bronner 's Christmas Wonderland Christmas club Christmas creep Christmas Day ( Trading ) Act 2004 Christmas Lectures Christmas Mountains Christmas truce Controversies Cyber Monday Economics Giving Tuesday El Gordo Holiday season In July In August Leon Day NBA games NFL games Puritan New England American Civil War Post-War United States Running of the Santas SantaCon Santa 's Candy Castle Small Business Saturday Super Saturday Virginia O'Hanlon White Christmas Winter festivals WWE Tribute to the Troops Xmas Food and drink Dinner Joulupöytä Julebord Kūčios Réveillon Twelve - dish supper Smörgåsbord Wigilia Sweets bûche de Noël Cake Candy cane Cookies Fruitcake Gingerbread Kourabiedes Melomakarono Mince pie Pavlova Pecan pie Pumpkin pie Pudding Rosca de reyes Szaloncukor Turrón Soup Menudo Sauce Cranberry sauce Beverages Apple cider Champurrado Eggnog Mulled wine Smoking Bishop Ponche crema Dumpling Hallaca Tamale Meat Ham Roast goose Romeritos Turkey Stuffing Portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Candy_cane&oldid=826519378 '' Categories : Christmas food Christian symbols Candy Urban legends Hidden categories : Pages using deprecated image syntax Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Español Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית 日本 語 Português Русский Simple English Tagalog Edit links This page was last edited on 19 February 2018, at 16 : 16. 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Question: who created the first candy cane and in what year
Answer: choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral