--Eva
On Sat, 28 Nov 1998, Eric Boyd wrote:
> Hi virians,
>
> I've found a meme for us to track. I want to know where it
> started, and when certain modifications were made.
>
> The Christmas Candy Cane:
>
> Here's the story that every Christian and their brother have
> posted:
>
> "A Candymaker's Gift
>
> A candymaker in Indiana wanted to make a special candy for
> Christmas, so he made a Christmas Candy "Cane". He incorporated
> several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus
> Christ.
>
> He began with a stick of pure, white, hard candy. White to
> symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless life of Jesus; and
> hard to symbolize the "Solid Rock" foundation of the Church and
> the firmness of the promises of God.
>
> The candymaker made the candy in the form of a " J " to represent
> the name of Jesus, whose birth we celebrate. It also represents
> the staff of the "Good Sheperd" who reaches down into the ditches
> of life and pulls us out.
>
> Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candymaker
> stained it with the red stripes. He used three small stripes to
> represent the scourging that Jesus received before his death. The
> large red stripe was for the bload that Jesus gave through his
> death, which gives us an opportunity to receive eternal life.
>
> Unfortunately , the candy became known as a candy cane, a
> meaningless decoration seen mostly at Christmas. But the meaning
> is still there to those who know it's history.
>
> I sincerely hope that this special candy will have more
> signifigance for all of you this year.
>
> (author unknown)"
>
> http://www.theozarks.com/CandyCane.htm
>
> Interestingly, it is the last sentence or two which have the most
> "mutations". Where the above says "But the meaning is still
> there to those who know it's history.", many others end with
>
> "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."
>
> http://www.ntgi.com/lonniec/candy/
>
> Also, it seems there is a minor controversy over just how many
> red stripes there are, as well as what they symbolize; some
> maintain the three stripes are for the scourging, while others
> think the trinity. Some mention another "large red stripe",
> while other are content with just the three.
>
> Apparently, there are several books out on the subject:
>
> Lori Walburg, 32, of Grand Rapids has written the book "The
> Legend of the Candy Cane"
> --
> http://www.thehollandsentinel.net/stories/121997/rel_cane.html
>
> Could one of these books be the source?
>
> http://nickworld.thesitefights.com/christmas/ch00004.html
> Contains both the legend and a "real" history.
>
> A simple search on an search engine yeilds thousands of copies of
> this story, *word for word* in most cases.
>
> ERiC
>