INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Christmas has come and gone, but the celebration continues — and this celebration calls specifically for something you may have found in your stocking.
Thursday is National Candy Cane Day. It’s observed every year on the day after Christmas, Dec. 26.
Peppermint candy has been around for centuries, but candy canes are a bit more modern.
One popular tale traces the candy cane to Germany, where a 17th century choirmaster needed a way to keep children calm during Christmas services and asked a candymaker for help. Legend says the candy’s crook was added to symbolize the shepherds that visited the infant Jesus.
While it’s not entirely clear when candy canes became a beloved holiday treat, a cookbook written in 1844 includes a recipe for peppermint candy sticks with colored stripes.
Candy canes were originally white, according to one source , and the traditional red stripes didn’t appear until the 19th century. That’s around the same time people in the U.S. started hanging the candies on Christmas trees. In 1882, a publication called “ Babyland ” described a Christmas tree decorated with “tall, twisted candy canes,” popcorn balls, ribbons, and dolls.