In "surfing
the Net," the Wise Man's assistant found two versions of the candy cane's origin.
According to one legend, the choirmaster
of the Cologne Cathedral gave his young singers sugar sticks in 1670 to keep them quiet
during a long creche ceremony. He bent them in the shape of shepherds' crooks.
Another Web site explains that an Indiana
candymaker wanted to make a Christmas witness. He began with a stick of pure white
hard candy to symbolize the virgin birth and sinless character of Jesus.
Hard candy
symbolized the Church's rock foundation. Upright, the staff-like shape represented
Jesus the Good Shepherd. Upside down, the cane became the letter J for "Jesus."
The candymaker added one broad red stripe
and three narrow ones. The broad stripe calls to mind the blood of Jesus that was shed
on the cross. The narrow ones represent the stripes of his scourging.
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