Common Traditions For Homecoming Mums
Originally a Texas Tradition, The homecoming mums are large silk chrysanthemums decorated with long ribbon streamers, trinkets, and, of course, cowbells representing the person wearing them and the school they attend. They are made in the school’s colors and can be decorated to reflect involvement in a sports team, musical organization, or other clubs.
It’s now expanded out to other states such as Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, Alabama, and as far as Florida, North Dakota, and Virgina. These days, however, mums have little to do with the actual flower. Homecoming Mums these days are often large arrangements of ribbons, bells, charms, and a button sewn together and designed to be worn around a woman’s neck.
The male counterpart to a mum is the garter, which is a smaller, less flashy version of the mum designed to fit around a man’s arm. The mum is designed and ordered by the male date and the garter is designed and ordered by the female date, to be later exchanged on the night before homecoming week.
Common Traditions For Homecoming Mums
- A Homecoming mum is centered around a silk flower and ribbons,
- Mum-wearer’s initials add a personal touch
- Mum-wearer’s initials date name
- Mum-wearers’ grade on their ribbons,
- Mum-wearers’ school name
- Some combination of oversized silk flowers, ribbons, bows, feathers, sequins, charms, stuffed animals, photographs, glittery letters, trinkets, and stickers are added to reflect who people are and what they do
- Whatever other creative thing you like.
- Like a typical corsage/boutonnière exchange, a girl will typically buy her date’s garter and a boy will buy his date’s mum, although oftentimes parents will buy them for their sons and daughters.
Mums are a token of affection between a boy and a girl, or between a parent and a child. Homecoming mums is given to a girl at Homecoming to wear to school and then to the Homecoming game and dance if any.
