Since the 1930’s, mums have been a homecoming tradition for most high schools in the United States. People will go to the extremes with their mums, in length and color. The tradition behind the mum when it was first introduced was to be given to a girl as flattery from a boy, it was a sign of popularity if a girl received one.
Boys offered real chrysanthemum flowers to their dates, which are very large, rare, and beautiful flowers. Girls would even compete with each other to receive mums, since they were given out in limited quantities. The style of the mum evolved from natural flowers to silk flowers as the concern of wilting arised, people began to realize that the silk mums could withstand hot glue, heavy attachments, and much more. So the addition of ribbons, streamers, and stickers became more popular as it was a way to personalize the mum for that special girl. “There’s a lot of states that actually don’t do mums. I think it’s mostly just a Texas thing,” said Jeannie Wisenbaker the Caney Creek Flowers florist.
The homecoming mum is mostly a southern tradition, although the mum has taken a new meaning in which the boy no longer gives the girl a mum. Now the mum is mostly just an accessory for their homecoming attire. Mums went from being simple flowers, to weighing up to almost 12 pounds or more! Even though the purpose behind the mum has changed, it’s still a meaningful tradition to most people today.