In the UK, November is marked by The Gunpowder Plot (or Bonfire Night / Guy Fawkes Night) on the 5th and Remembrance Day on the 11th. This month, to tie in with both themes of fire and war, I am going to delve into the superstition that it is unlucky to light three cigarettes from one match – or, these days, one flick of a lighter.
The Boer War (1899 – 1902) and the First World War (1914-1918) are notoriously associated with trench warfare. In the trenches, it was considered a death knell to be the recipient of the third light from one match. It was believed that when a match was lit and the first light taken, the enemy snipers would spot the flame. With the second cigarette to be lit, the sniper would take aim and then shoot at the third light, killing the soldier before he’d even taken his first puff.
Whilst not in reference to snipers, the superstition about lighting three articles from one match appears to pre-date the Boer War by about half a century, going back to the Crimean War (1853-1856). Matches were scarce but Russian prisoners would light only two cigarettes or cigars from the same match, and then strike another for the third. The root of this superstition lies with the Russian Orthodox Church when three alter candles were lit from the same taper by a priest. It was considered an act of impiety (and therefore unlucky) for anyone outside the church to re-enact this holy rite.
After WW1, the owner of a Swedish match-making business, Ivar Kreugar, used his clever marketing skills to cement the superstition in the public consciousness. Kreugar’s empire dominated the post-war production of matches simply because he propagated the myth to increase demand for his product!
The superstition appears to remain strong amongst Gen-X’ers who were probably taught it by our grandparents who fought in the war. When I see a group of people sharing one lighter, I always repeat – if only in my head – it’s unlucky to have the third light!
Growing up in the 80s and 90s, we had other rituals around smoking such as tapping the end of a cigarette on a table before lighting it, or turning one cigarette upside down in a new pack. I remember my grandfather tapping his unlit cigarette on the table before striking a match, presumably to pack the tobacco down so it burned more evenly. I no longer do any of these rituals. I don’t even know what we thought might happen to us if we failed to perform them! However, I do know at least one mid-lifer who still turns a cigarette upside down in a fresh pack – “for luck”! I should ask them to choose my lottery numbers for me!
