National Hard Candy Day is celebrated annually on December 19th, just a few days before Christmas. This timing makes it a part of the holiday season, when sweets and festive treats are enjoyed and shared among friends and family. With many other sweets-related national days occurring around this time, it’s the perfect opportunity to indulge your sweet tooth.
Other sweet national days happening around the same time:
- National Cupcake Day on December 15
- National Chocolate Covered Anything Day on December 16
- Bake Cookies Day on December 18
- National Cookie Exchange Day on December 22
From Ancient Sweets to Modern Treats: The Sweet History of Hard Candy
Hard candy has a long history that dates back over 8,000 years.
In ancient Egypt, people collected honey from wild bees and combined it with sap from the mallow plant, creating the earliest forms of sweets, including what would eventually become marshmallows.
In ancient India, sugarcane was a significant discovery. The juice extracted from sugarcane was boiled down into a solid form, producing brown sugar. The hard pieces left over were called “canda,” which is where the word “candy” originates.
As sugar became more widespread, it gained popularity across the globe. By the early 1400s, Europeans had exported sugarcane to various parts of the world, including the Canary Islands, the West Indies, and Brazil. The 1500s saw the birth of the candy industry in Europe, where candy makers experimented by mixing fruits and nuts with boiled sugar, creating confections that appealed to all social classes.
In the 1800s, hard candy as we know it was developed in England and quickly became popular in America. An interesting milestone occurred in 1908 when a confectioner inadvertently created the first lollipops. Wooden sticks used for stirring candy accumulated sweet residues, inspiring the idea to market “candy sticks” to the public.
National Hard Candy Day is a celebration of these sweet innovations and the joy they bring. It’s a day to savor your favorite hard candies, explore new flavors, and appreciate the historical journey of this timeless treat. With Christmas approaching, it’s also an excellent time to share hard candies as gifts or include them in holiday festivities.
What Makes Hard Candy Special?
Hard candy is distinct because of its long-lasting flavor and solid form. Unlike chocolates or soft treats, hard candy takes time to dissolve, allowing you to enjoy the taste gradually. It’s an old-fashioned confection that has stood the test of time, with origins tracing back to ancient civilizations that first experimented with crystallized sugar.
When Is National Hard Candy Day Celebrated?
If you’re planning to mark National Hard Candy Day in the future, it’s helpful to know when it falls each year. Landing just before the peak of holiday festivities, this day is perfectly timed for indulging in treats like peppermint, butterscotch, or other favorites. Here’s a look at the dates for National Hard Candy Day through 2030:
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2024 | December 19, Thursday |
| 2025 | December 19, Friday |
| 2026 | December 19, Saturday |
| 2027 | December 19, Sunday |
| 2028 | December 19, Tuesday |
| 2029 | December 19, Wednesday |
| 2030 | December 19, Thursday |
How to Celebrate National Hard Candy Day
On National Hard Candy Day, the best way to celebrate is simple—enjoy some of your favorite hard candies! Try peppermints, which have been around since the 18th century as a remedy for digestion, or butterscotch, which gained popularity in the 19th century. You can also opt for fruit-flavored drops or cinnamon hard candies, which became household favorites in the early 1900s.
Pick up a variety to share with friends, family, or co-workers. For a more hands-on experience, explore the history of candy-making, starting with ancient Egyptians who used honey as a sweetener before sugar became common. Or, try making your own batch at home—hard candy molds and kits allow you to create custom flavors and shapes. It’s a fun way to honor the tradition and enjoy a timeless treat. Finally, you can also use National Hard Candy Day to learn about the science behind candies and the boiling of sugar:
Fun Facts About Hard Candy
Hard candy has a rich and varied history, and it’s more than just a simple sweet. From its early medicinal uses to its role in scientific experiments, hard candy has played a surprising part in both culture and innovation. Let’s take a look at some intriguing details that show just how unique this timeless treat really is:
- Peppermints: Over 1.76 billion candy canes are made in the U.S. every holiday season, with peppermint being the most popular hard candy flavor. It’s not just a Christmas treat—it was originally used as a medicinal remedy for digestion.
- Lollipops: While the modern lollipop was invented in the early 20th century, stick-based candies can be traced back to ancient cultures. People in the Middle Ages enjoyed honey-based candies on sticks as a sweet treat.
- Rock Candy: This candy, known for its crystal-like appearance, has been used for centuries not only as a dessert but also in scientific experiments to demonstrate crystal formation.
- Butterscotch: This classic flavor is thought to have originated in England in the 19th century, though the name’s exact origin remains debated. Some say it refers to the candy being “scotched” (cut) into pieces, while others believe it relates to the process of heating butter and sugar.
- Jawbreakers: These candies are famous for their hard, layered construction that can take hours to eat. A single jawbreaker can have multiple layers, each with a different color or flavor, which is what makes it such a long-lasting treat.
Before You Go:
We have many more national days lists for you to explore.
- Food-related national days: complete list of national food days, pasta & noodles days, vegan & vegetarian days, mushroom days, ice-cream days, pizza days, coffee days, chocolate days, wine days, alcohol & drinking days.
- Non-food national days: National Days Calendar 2025 (check out the printable calendars in my Etsy shop), National Days for Teachers, and a wide array of special lists such as cat days, dog days, animal days, cleaning & organizing days, book days, music days, family & relationships days, national days for women, stationery days and even Harry Potter days.
- Country-specific national days: Australian national days, more coming soon.
