How the nativity scene came to be, what the candy cane symbolizes, and other little-known facts about Christmas. “Candy Cane”, the striped history of an unusual candy This is interesting! Giant caramel for the holiday

21.09.2024

Homemade lollipops and caramel are a simple and tasty treat, but it’s not that simple. I made caramel for the first time, and it turned out to be not as easy as it seems. You need skill, dexterity and speed. Everything is the same as in extreme driving, but the more difficult the task, the more interesting it is. Now forget everything I said and get ready. Don't be afraid of anything! Everything will work out!

We will need very few products, but we will get a decent amount of candy.

Place molasses, sugar and water in a saucepan with a thick bottom. Place on the fire and cook after boiling for 7 minutes. I used a food thermometer and cooked until the syrup reached 124 degrees. In this case, the syrup must be constantly stirred. The syrup should remain light and in no case darken.

When the syrup reaches 124 degrees, it doesn't look like syrup at all, but more like fluffy foam. Add citric acid and mix. There will be even more foam. Pour the syrup onto a silicone mat, placing a spatula under the edges so that there is a hollow in the middle and the syrup does not run away. Let's put gloves on our hands. The syrup is hot, you need to work carefully so as not to burn yourself. Add a drop of gel dye to half the syrup. The syrup will cool and set. Let's take some of the colored syrup (cooled a little), it no longer flows, and we will stretch and fold, thereby saturating the caramel with oxygen. The mass will acquire a pearlescent hue. Place the part of the caramel that you are not working with under an infrared lamp, I don’t have one, so I put the caramel in the oven on a silicone mat at a temperature of 60 degrees.

After stretching, roll out two sausages of different colors and weave them together with a flagellum. We act very quickly and carefully so as not to get burned. We twist the edge and make canes. Caramel can be cut well with scissors as long as it is plastic. I acted so quickly that the scissors left only a mark in the frame))

The finished sweets look like this. You can make hearts and whatever you want.

Candy canes are a favorite Christmas treat for all children and a stylish decoration for the Christmas tree. According to legend, the famous candy was invented by the choirmaster of the Cologne Cathedral to calm children making noise during services. Mint or cinnamon, multi-colored or with traditional red and white stripes - the story of the appearance of the world's most famous caramel on diletant.media.

Whatever the child enjoys

The first mention of the famous candy dates back to the 17th century. Children all over the world owe the appearance of the candy cane to the choirmaster of Cologne Cathedral. According to legend, he could not get the boy choir boys to remain silent during long services. Then he decided to distract the children with something and ordered sugar candies from a local confectioner. And so that the candy sticks would not look reprehensible during the service, the choirmaster asked to bend one end. So the candies took the shape of a shepherd’s crook to supposedly remind children of how the shepherds came to bow to the baby Jesus.

This beautiful story is a bit like a fairy tale, but is perfect for telling to children at Christmas. According to another version, the candy cane was made in the shape of a hook to make it easier to hang on the tree. This explanation is quite logical, because sweets were often decorated with holiday trees.

Religious symbols

Originally, candy canes were probably just white, like all sugar sticks. This is how they can be seen on old Christmas cards until the 19th century. Color stripes appeared on them later. According to legend, four red stripes appeared on sweets during the English Revolution, when the Puritan authorities under the leadership of Cromwell forbade residents to celebrate Christmas. Then caramel sticks became an identification mark of opponents of the regime. Three thin red stripes on white candy symbolized the Trinity, and one wide stripe was applied in memory of the redemptive power of Christ.

The first candies in the USA

There is another legend in the USA. Locals believe that the candy cane was invented by an American candy manufacturer from Indiana. The candies were filled with symbols. The white color signified the purity of the immaculate conception of Christ, the hardness was reminiscent of the cornerstone that lies at the foundation of the Christian church. The red stripes were applied in memory of the blood shed by Christ. The very curved shape of the caramel resembled the letter J, the first in the Latin spelling of the name of Jesus. Most likely, this is another beautiful fairy tale. In fact, the appearance of candy canes in the United States is associated with the name of the German migrant August Imgard. It was he who first decorated the Christmas tree in Ohio with paper garlands, gilded nuts and canes in 1847.

By the middle of the 19th century, striped candies became one of children's favorite treats and a real symbol of Christmas. Recipes for candy canes were published in cookbooks, and the sweets themselves were sold on every corner.

Industrial production

In the mid-50s of the 20th century, a machine for the industrial production of sugar canes was invented in the USA. An American, Gregory Keller, invented a special method of bending sticks. His relative Bob McCormack was in the Christmas candy business and regularly lost about 20% of his production due to canes breaking during bending. Thanks to the introduction of new methods, the number of candies produced has increased tenfold. Traditionally, candy canes are made with mint flavoring, but strawberry candies are also available. The red and white color of the delicacy is also complemented by bright green or yellow stripes. But the classic candy cane is still one of the main symbols of Christmas for many.

Whatever the child enjoys

Religious symbols

Originally, candy canes were probably just white, like all sugar sticks. This is how they can be seen on old Christmas cards until the 19th century. Color stripes appeared on them later.

The candy cane was invented by the choirmaster of Cologne Cathedral

According to legend, four red stripes appeared on sweets during the English Revolution, when the Puritan authorities under the leadership of Cromwell forbade residents to celebrate Christmas. Then caramel sticks became an identification mark of opponents of the regime. Three thin red stripes on white candy symbolized the Trinity, and one wide stripe was applied in memory of the redemptive power of Christ.

The first candies in the USA

The red stripes on the candy symbolize the blood of Christ.

The red stripes were applied in memory of the blood shed by Christ. The very curved shape of the caramel resembled the letter J, the first in the Latin spelling of the name of Jesus. Most likely, this is another beautiful fairy tale. In fact, the appearance of candy canes in the United States is associated with the name of the German migrant August Imgard. It was he who first decorated the Christmas tree in Ohio with paper garlands, gilded nuts and canes in 1847.

Industrial production

Classic candy canes come in a mint flavor.

Thanks to the introduction of new methods, the number of candies produced has increased tenfold. Traditionally, candy canes are made with mint flavoring, but strawberry candies are also available. The red and white color of the delicacy is also complemented by bright green or yellow stripes. But the classic candy cane is still one of the main symbols of Christmas for many.

Sweets have long served as an attribute of holidays, especially such as New Year and Christmas. The lion's share of children's sweet gifts are still made in honor of these favorite holidays.

An unusual candy in the form of a striped staff has remained one of the popular symbols of Christmas and New Year in many Catholic countries for several centuries.

Modern New Year and Christmas illustrations often depict Santa Claus with this colorful cane. They even decorate holiday interiors.

This delicacy is called differently: “candy cane”, “peppermint stick”, “cinnamon stick”, the first is the most common. But the shape of the icicle remains unchanged - a white stick curved at the top with red stripes.

Where was it invented?

The history of the striped candy began in the German city of Cologne. The choirmaster of the famous Cologne Cathedral, during mass services on Christmastide, noticed that most parishioners brought children to the service, who, out of boredom, began to play pranks and make noise. To motivate the children to behave diligently, the inventive minister asked a local pastry chef to make a simple delicacy that at the same time carries a wise religious meaning. He understood perfectly well that all children love sweets. Therefore, a sweet surprise can be a fun way to explain a religious idea to young visitors.

This is how the sugar staff appeared, which quickly gained enormous popularity, becoming a sweet children's gift during the holidays (December 24 - January 6). Later, the tradition of giving children curved sugar sticks spread throughout Europe. In addition, the custom arose of hanging them on the Christmas tree, because... Thanks to the convenient fold, the lollipops hung steadily and looked great. But the familiar red stripes were decorated with the delicacy only in the 19th century.

Just candy or a symbol?

Surprisingly, a striped children's gift carries many semantic meanings:

The shape of the staff reminds us that Christ is the shepherd (shepherd) of human souls, who accepted death for his flock.
If you turn the candy over, you get the Latin letter J, with which the name of the Savior (Jesus) begins.
The white color symbolizes the sinlessness of Christ and the purity of the Virgin Mary.
The hardness of the candy indicates strong faith and an unshakable desire to save people.
A “classic” Candy Cane should have three thin stripes and one wide one. The long stripe is the One God, and the narrow stripes are the Holy Trinity. Sometimes the candy is decorated with a green ribbon, twig or leaf, because... green is a symbol of giving, since Jesus (and the candy) is a gift from God.

The largest lollipop included in the Guinness Book of Records was made in Geneva. The size of the giant was 17.5 meters.

And in 2011, on Christmas Eve in Moscow, a candy cane was presented that outdid its Swiss counterpart, which was more than 20 meters long. To treat the guests to a huge cane, I had to use a hammer.

In addition to Christmas, candy has become an integral symbol of the Catholic holiday St. Nicholas Day. It is celebrated on December 6th.

The first company that officially began producing Candy Cane in 1919 in the American town of Albany was called Bob's Candies.

The red-and-white delicacy was even dedicated to the New Year's edition of Prigles chips with white chocolate and peppermint flavors.

Famous Lego sculptor Nathan Sawaya assembled the largest lollipop, which consisted of 850,000 pieces.

Among all Christians, Christmas has been one of the main holidays of the year for thousands of years. Considering how many people are celebrating the holiday, which will come in just a few days, here are some interesting facts about Christmas.

1. Date

At the time of the birth of Christianity, Christmas was not celebrated as a major holiday. The first evidence that the Church attempted to date the feast on the birthday of Christ dates back to 200 AD, when theologians in Alexandria decided that it was May 20. By the 380s, the Church in Rome tried to introduce a universal holiday on December 25th in various regions, and it was this date that eventually took root among all Catholics and Protestants around the world.

Although Jesus was most likely born in the spring, as was often the case in the early Church, the officially accepted date was influenced by the pagan holidays of Rome (December 25 was the feast of the birth of the sun). Saint Cyprian mentioned this.

2. Nativity scene

Francis of Assisi is a famous saint who had the gift of controlling animals and who went to the Middle East to convert Muslims to Christianity (he offered to throw himself into the fire to prove a divine miracle). Few people know about this, but it was thanks to him that “Christmas nativity scenes” appeared - a reproduction of the Nativity scene using three-dimensional figures. Saint Francis invented the nativity scene in the 13th century.

3. Gifts

Gift baskets, Christmas drinks, Christmas cards and many other Christmas traditions are by no means a modern invention. In fact, we have to thank the ancient Romans for this tradition, who exchanged all these things on New Year's Day (Strenae, named after Strenae, the goddess of New Year's gifts). Initially, this practice began to be suppressed by the Church, but old habits are extremely difficult to eradicate, and in the end they were transferred to Christmas.

4. Ban

In England, Christmas was banned by Parliament in 1644. This day was supposed to be a regular trading day, so traders were forced to open their shops, and plum puddings and mince pies began to be denounced as pagan traditions. Naturally, conservatives opposed this, and blood was shed in Canterbury.

After the Protestant Reformation, groups such as the Puritans strongly condemned the celebration of Christmas, considering it a Catholic invention and a "popish whim." For example, in Boston, Christmas celebrations were outlawed in Boston from 1659 to 1681.

5. Misconceptions

As is often the case with very ancient traditions, many myths have arisen around Christmas. The most popular myth is that the entire Christmas holiday originated from and is based on the pagan character Mithras (sun god). Many aspects of Mithra's life are presented as evidence of this in this case.

The theory appeared relatively recently, but, in fact, many of its postulates were borrowed from Christianity, which swept the world at the height of the cult of Mithra. It is said that Mithras was born in the same way as Christ, but in fact the pagans believed that he was born on the top of a mountain.

Moreover, the story of the shepherds attending Mithras's birth did not appear until the science of Jesus became known throughout the world. This is the case when paganism borrowed something from Christianity, and not vice versa.

6. Firecrackers

In the UK and many Commonwealth countries, Christmas crackers are an integral part of the celebrations at Christmas. These are small tubes made of cardboard with a gift inside and a strip of paper that “pops” when broken. All this is covered with decorative paper and looks like a large candy.

The contents of a cracker are most often a joke written on a piece of paper, a small toy or a colored paper hat. The firecracker is pulled by the ends by 2 people, and its contents go to the one who has most of the firecracker in his hands.

7. Christmas tree

Most people have heard the story of how Martin Luther, the famous Protestant reformer, “gave” the world a Christmas tree (or in some versions of the story, candles on the tree). This is not true. The first association of trees with Christmas comes from St. Boniface in the 7th century AD, when he cut down a tree dedicated to Thor to prove to the locals that the Norse gods were false.

By the 15th century, people were already actively cutting down spruce trees and bringing them home, decorating them with candied fruits, sweets and candles. In Luther's time this was already an ancient tradition.

8. "Xmas"

In English-speaking countries, the phrase "Merry Christmas" is often shortened to "Merry X-mas". This causes anger among many people, since most Christians consider it disrespectful to simply replace the name of Christ with an “X.”

However, the abbreviation "Xmas" is almost as old as the holiday it refers to - "X" is actually a Greek letter, which is the first letter of Christ's name in Greek. Therefore, Xmas is quite a religious word.

9. Santa Claus

The image of Santa Claus is actually based on the early church bishop Nicholas the Wonderworker. He was born in the third century (around 270 AD), in the village of Patara in Turkey, and was known for secretly giving money to the poor.

The modern image of him as a jolly man in red most likely comes from the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas", also known as "The Night Before Christmas".

10. Candy Cane

In the late 1800s, a candy maker in Indiana came up with a way to convey the meaning of Christmas through a candy symbol. The idea was to bend a white mint candy stick into the shape of a shepherd's cane (a reference to the shepherds' worship of baby Jesus).

The color white symbolizes the purity and sinlessness of Jesus. The three thin red stripes on it symbolize the Holy Trinity, and the wide red stripe symbolizes the blood that Jesus shed for humanity. And if you turn the cane upside down, it looks like the letter J, symbolizing the first letter of the name Jesus.

Based on materials from listverse.com