You don?t have to be a habitual cigar smoker to enjoy the complex flavors of a good cigar on special occasions. In light of all the chaos and excitement that is inevitable for any celebration, it is nice to take a step back and relax. It is not surprising then that cigars are the perfect gift for your friends and family members who deserve to unwind on any special occasion. Typical occasions where people gift cigars include: bachelor parties, New Year?s Eve, birth celebrations, Valentine?s Day, Father?s Day, and weddings. But were these events always a big celebration for Americans? Here is a brief history behind the most common occasions for gifting cigars as well as a recommendation of what cigar to gift for each event. Your Last Night as a Single Man Stu: Why do you think we can't remember anything from last night? Phil: Because obviously we had a great fucking time! Remember Stu and Phil from The Hangover? This box office hit tells the story of the bachelor party adventures of a groom and his groomsmen, and it made over 105 million dollars. When did bachelor parties become such a massive trend worldwide? According to Time, the first ?bachelor party? happened as early as the time of the Spartans in the 5th century B.C. Spartan soldiers held a dinner party for the groom, celebrating his last night of freedom with drinks. Time continues to explain that the term ?bachelor? itself, which used to only refer to an adolescent knight or an educated student, began to also refer to a man without a wife when Geoffrey Chaucer used it in his 14th century anthology, The Canterbury Tales. The term ?bachelor party? made its debut in 1922 in the Scottish publication, Chambers's Journal of Literature, Science and Arts, referring to a "jolly old" party. Bachelor parties are also popular celebrations around the world. The Brits, Irish, and Canadians call bachelor parties the ?stag party,? the Australians call it the ?buck's party,? and the French call it the ?enterrement de vie de gar?on,? meaning "the burial of the life as a boy.? Time explains that since the time of the Spartans, bachelor parties became less traditional over time. The magazine says that police came to a bachelor party for Herbert Barnum Seeley?s brother in 1896 because there were naked belly dancers. Moreover, Jimmy Stewart's party had ?midgets popping out of a serving dish.? Modern bachelor parties do not always involve a fancy dinner that the groom's father plans to commemorate his son and his son?s future wife, as they did in the past. Today, bachelor parties often involve tricks and surprises planned by friends of the groom. They also usually consist of an overnight vacation to Vegas or the Bahamas. As weddings are both exciting and stressful, a cigar makes for the perfect bachelor party treat for the groom to celebrate and relax before his big day with all of his best friends. The sweet vanilla and dark cacao bean flavor of a Briarmont Limited Cigar is a great way to celebrate the groom's sweet years to come. Customizing the band with the groom's high school nickname or another inside joke he shares with his groomsmen is an idea he will love. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1? Happy New Year! New Year?s Eve is one of the most exciting nights of the whole year. But ever wonder why the first day of the New Year is January first? According to History?s website, the first time the New Year was celebrated was on January first in 45 B.C. when the Julian calendar officially started. As dictator of Rome, Julius Caesar decided that the traditional Roman calendar was not going to make the cut. He had a problem with the seventh century Roman calendar because it was ineffectively modeled by the lunar cycle, as the seasons were not in sync with the cycle. The Roman political body who was put in charge of monitoring the calendar took advantage of its role and used it to advance themselves politically, such as prolonging political terms. History continues to explain that Sosigenes, an Alexandrian astronomer, as well as the Egyptians, told Caesar to use the solar year instead. Based on Caesar?s new calendar, the New Year would fall on January 1 instead of March, as it did in the past. A cigar is the perfect gift for a friend or even for yourself for New Year?s Eve. It is a relaxing way to reflect on what you want for the incoming year. Unlike alcohol, cigars don't leave you with a hang over the next morning. The smooth and creamy, yet full-flavored and peppery finish of a Briarmont Double Wrap cigar is the perfect cigar for New Year?s. The smooth and peppery flavor of this cigar reflects the lows, and highs of the past year. Customizing the band with the date of the New Year is a fun touch to make your cigar extra special. Oh Baby: Birth Celebrations While baby showers are a relatively modern celebration, rituals celebrating childbirth are historical. Historians explain that in ancient Egypt, baby celebrations occurred after the child was born. It was also primarily for the mom to be. Upon the baby?s birth, the mother and child were separated so ?the pollution of birth? could be purified. Cleaning rituals for the umbilical cord and the placenta, as well as for naming the baby, occurred at temples or shrines. The Ancient Greeks also commemorated pregnancy after the baby was born. However, Greek rituals involved the father. According to historians, ?On the fifth or seventh day after birth, the child would be welcomed by a ceremony called Amphidromia (Running Round) in which the father would walk around the hearth several times, symbolizing the infant?s integration into the household.? During the Renaissance, birthing rituals were an ?almost mystical event.? Friends and family of the mother would give her gifts like wooden trays, bowls, and majolica wares, painting, sculptures, clothing, linens, and food because these items were believed to invoke a safe and pleasant childbirth. The Victorian era baby rituals shaped our modern baby shower. Victorian women liked to keep their pregnancy a surprise. When she gave birth, her female friends and family would throw a tea party for her. These tea parties transformed into showers in the 1900s. While Baby showers are often specifically for women today, it is still important to congratulate the soon-to-be dads. The extremely smooth and complex flavors of a Briarmont Classic Connecticut cigar is the perfect gift to congratulate the nervous and excited father in training. Customizing the band with ?it?s a boy? or ?it's a girl? is an essential touch. Roses are Red, Violets are Blue? Millions of people celebrate Valentine ?s Day with their loved one every February. But few people actually know who St. Valentine is and why they are giving gifts to that special someone in his name. History breaks down who this mysterious St. Valentine is into two legends. According to one legend, after Emperor Claudius II banned marriage because he thought marriage distracted soldiers, Valentine secretly married couples and was eventually sentenced to death for his actions. The second legend says that when Valentine was in prison for being brave and aiding imprisoned Christians in escaping Roman control, he wrote the first ?valentine greeting? to the girl he was in love with. Before he died, he supposedly signed this letter, ??From your Valentine.?? We celebrate Valentine?s Day in February to honor Valentine?s death in 270 AD. However, Valentine?s Day is a pagan holiday. As a result, many believe that we celebrate it in honor of the Lupercalia festival. History explains how Lupercalia was ?a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.? One legend says that unmarried women in the city would put their names inside of an urn. The men would then pick a name and the woman they chose would be their match for the year, but often longer since many men married their match. A cigar makes for the perfect gift for your Valentine if he or she is not big on extra sweet treats, such as chocolate. Customizing both the flavor and the band of the cigar is a perfect way to let that special someone know how well you know him or her. Including ?I love you? or ?Thanks for making me smile every day? on the band will definitely make your loved one blush. Dad, Thank You for Being You For many of us, our fathers are our best role models, and the strongest, most admirable people we know. Father?s Day gives us an entire 24 hours to let them know how much we appreciate all of their hard work. But who came up with this great idea? According to The Art of Manliness, in 1909 a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd was listening to a sermon about how mothers are special and thought that fathers should deserve the same recognition. Her dad was a Civil War veteran. His wife died during childbirth, and he was forced to raise their six children all on his own. Sonora believed there needed to be a day to celebrate dads who are as amazing as her own. Based on this account, the first Father?s Day was celebrated a year later on June 19, 1910. Another woman, Grace Golden Clayton is also known for recommending a Father?s Day. After a mine explosion took the lives of over 360 men in 1908, she thought that there needed to be a day to honor dads. But Father?s Day was not officially recognized until 1966 when Lyndon B. Johnson issued an executive order to make the third Sunday in June an official day to honor dads. However, Father?s Day did not become a national holiday until 1972 when Nixon was president. A cigar is the perfect gift to get your father for Father?s Day because hard working dads deserve to take some time to themselves and relax. The smooth chocolatey and spicy flavor of a Briarmont Classic Maduro will definitely make your dad happy. You can customize the band with one of your inside jokes or even something as simple as ?thanks for being a great dad.? I do! Weddings are single handedly one of the biggest traditions around the world. But have weddings always been the celebrations of love that they are today? In the middle ages, women did not have the power to choose their husband. Couples did not even get the chance to get to know each other before they got married. Weddings were not a celebration of love, but a binding of political and legal contracts between two families. Elizabethan marriages were also arranged. The wedding consisted of a festive pre-party at home and then a ceremony at church. Some couples would then have a fancy feast to continue the celebration. In the Victorian Era, white became the traditional color of the wedding dress. The groom wore a blue or burgundy frock coat and a flower pinned to his coat. His pants were also colorful, often lavender. By the mid-Victorian era, grooms wore a black vest with gray pants and colorful gloves. At the end of the Victorian era, a black top hat was the most desired groom accessory. Similar to today, fashion was an important part of the Victorian wedding. However, Victorian marriages were still more about the contract rather than love. As weddings today commemorate the love between couples, it's important to get the bride and groom a gift that reflects these happy feelings. His and Her customized cigars would make for a special wedding gift for any couple. The Smooth and creamy, yet full-flavored and peppery finish of the Briarmont Double Wrap is the perfect after wedding cake treat. After all the chaos and excitement of the wedding, the bride and groom are going to need something to help them relax. For more customized cigar gift ideas visit Custom Tobacco.