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Candy cane and its significance
One of the most recognisable and popular symbols of the season, the
crooked sweet, we know as the candy cane is not only found in sweet
shops, but is also seen as a symbol of the season on Christmas cards,
Christmas trees and other festive decorations.
However, with commercialisation, the significance of the candy cane
has been forgotten. The origin of this candy cane, which is a
significance of the humble root of Christianity, can be traced back to
the 17th century.
The first hard sugar candy canes were straight and white and were
produced by professional bakers. It was during the same time that
Europeans began to adopt the Christmas tree on a large scale, and among
the popular decorations were cookies and sugar stick candy.
It was a choirmaster of the Cologne Cathedral who first came up with
the idea of giving candy sticks to children to keep them quiet during
the long church service. As he felt the candy should reflect the season,
they were bent in the shape of the crook in honour of the shepherds who
first worshipped the Christ child.
The red and white candy canes we are so familiar with today may have
emerged between 1900 and 1905, because most earlier pictures depict only
white canes.
The message of the first Christmas cards...
Most of you must be aware that the first Christmas card for sale was
designed by an artist in London named John Calcott Horsley. He was
commissioned by a wealthy British businessman named Sir Henry Cole in
1843 to design a card to send his friends and professional
acquaintances.
The inscription inside read 'Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year' as
merry was then a spiritual word meaning 'blessed'. Of the original
thousand cards printed for Sir Cole, twelve are said to be in existence
in private collections.
When Santa Claus became part of festive celebrations
There are many legends about the origin of Santa Claus and the most
popular one is that of St. Nicholas, a priest in Turkey who was
recognised for his generosity to those in need. He became known for his
late night gifts and the granting of wishes, and the stories of his
deeds spread throughout the land.
He was made the patron saint of children and a popular figure in
Christianity. He died around 350 AD. He came to be depicted as a jolly
man sporting a white beard, wearing the familiar red suit we came to
know with time.
There were many stories written in the 1800s about St. Nicholas and
how he came to be known as Santa Claus. The first department store
Santas originated by the 1890s.
Today, he is here to stay and children all over the world know him
and love him. In England, he is called Father Christmas, in France, Pere
Noel, in USA and Canada, he is known as Santa Claus and in our country
we call him Naththal Seeya in Sinhala and Nattar Thaththa in Tamil.
Who created 'Frosty the Snowman'
The snowman is a popular figure during the festive season and most
children in foreign countries
experiencing winter, enjoy making this rolly-polly figure during the season. Some snowmen consist of two
snowballs and some are made with three.
In Japan the snowman who is called the snow daruma usually consists
of two snow balls. The popular character 'Frosty the Snowman' was a Tin
Pan Alley novelty created as a follow-up to Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer by Jack Nelson and Steve Rolling in 1950. It was sold to Gene
Autry who recorded it.
Frosty is the most famous snowman today with television cartoons and
children's books in his honour.
How bon bons originated
The bon bon, also called the Christmas cracker, owes its origin to a
businessman named Tom Smith. Initially he discovered the 'bon bon' - a
sugared almond wrapped in a twisted tissue paper on a trip to Paris way
back in 1840, and later developed it to the popular form of bon
bon we know today.
The idea to introduce crackers into the bon bon he sold in his shops
had come about on hearing the crackle of a log as he threw it into the
fire. Most of today's bon bons have tiny gifts inside them, except those
made for decor.
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