09/12/2025
Candy Cane
A common story of the origin of candy canes claims that in 1670, in Cologne, Germany, the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral, seeking to mitigate the noise caused by children in his church during the Living Crèche tradition of Christmas Eve, requested "sugar sticks" from a local candy maker.
To justify the practice of giving candy to children during Mass, 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 Jesus' sinless life.
From Germany, candy canes spread to other parts of Europe, where they were handed out during plays reenacting the Nativity.
The candy cane became associated with Christmastide.
Peppermint is a natural animal deterrent. It is believed that peppermint candy canes were originally hung on Christmas trees to keep rodents and other small vermin, including cats, from damaging Christmas trees.