The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #89048   Message #1677009
Posted By: JohnInKansas
23-Feb-06 - 02:53 PM
Thread Name: Folklore: Cigars: All babies, or just boys?
Subject: RE: Folklore: Cigars: All babies, or just boys?
Cigar smoking was never popular enough for it to be much of a custom in my circles when I was young and immature enough to need "phallic symbolism," but the tobacco shops here have always carried special "birth boxes" giving a choice of pink or blue bands and wrappers on the cigars, for boys or girls, so at least the merchants believed it was appropriate for newborns of either sex. So far as I was aware, they were generally passed out at birth, rather than later after christening, but that probably is variable.

The alternate offered as an "accessory" item (here) is generally a box of chocolates for the nonsmokers, and occasionally you might see a box of "chocolate cigars."

John