The exact origins of the tradition are unclear, but clearly date back to the origin of modern smoking itself. The Native Americans who inhabited the New World would hold a "potlatch" to celebrate events such as a birth or wedding. The celebration allowed an individual or family to avoid the jealousy of others and was quite a status symbol among the tribe. It was, of course, the natives in the Caribbean, and Central and South America, who first puffed on rolled-up tobacco leaves wrapped in native leaves like maize or palm.

The rampant fear of all things smoking-related has taken a toll on the time-honored cigar tradition, however, and dad's are now offered a litany of wimpy, politically-correct alternatives to the celebratory cigar.

Come on, guys, let's get our act back in gear, and congratulations to those who at least celebrate in spirit. Earlier this year, when Mike Fincke became the first American astronaut to become a daddy while in outer space, he celebrated the arrival of his second child by handing out bubble-gum cigars to his Russian partners on the International Space Station where, understandably, smoking is discouraged. Some traditions die hard.

So what does all this mean? Perhaps a glimmer of hope for those of us who see tobacco products of all kinds under attack by forces who refuse to see cigars as anything other than a health scourge to be legislated out of existence. The next time someone hands you a celebratory smoke - be it on the birth of a child, a wedding, a successful business deal, or your favorite sports team's championship - take a moment to realize that history is actually on our side. From the days before Columbus all the way to the Space Age, cigars have been there for milestones large and small. And here's to the future.

E.H., M.B.