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Nobody is exactly sure how premium cigars became associated with celebrations or even where. Some say the tradition originated with the Native Americans, with those traditions eventually making their way to Europe, then to the United States. Others flip the sequence! The correct answer is probably a mixture with the Native American ceremonial use of tobacco being combined with the scarcity of tobacco in Europe making cigars something special, and therefore something to use in celebration of special events.
One of the more common special events associated with cigars is the birth of a child! According to USA Today August is the month where most births occur in the United States and September contains the top 10 most common birthdays, we thought now might be a good time to discuss the different colored bands or wrappers found on It's a Boy and It's a Girl premium cigars!
Let's start by pointing out that it wasn't always blue for boys and pink for girls. There's a famous photograph of FDR as a child between 2 and 3 years old. He is wearing a white skirt, holds a feathered hat, and has shoulder length hair! This was typical fashion for children before WW1. White was practical as it could be bleached and most boys got their first haircut about age six! However, by 1918, “The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.” Time magazine even printed a chart showing sex-appropriate colors for girls and boys according to leading US stores in1927! It wasn't until the 1940's that today's standards came into play. Smithsonian Magazine
What does this mean? While it may be fun to pass out cigars with a socially dictated color on the wrapper or band, make sure you give your friends a good cigar. Your newborn deserves to be celebrated with something special! As the parent, you get to decide what that is.
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