October is a very thrilling month in Texas, not only because of Halloween, but also because of homecoming. Texan schools celebrate this day through a series of exciting events, including releasing school, early; holding local homecoming parades and annual homecoming football games. More specifically, they express their school spirit by wearing "mums."
Around the 1950's, Texan boys started the tradition of picking chrysanthemum blooms for their homecoming dates. Some were tied with a few ribbons. However, because "everything's bigger in Texas," over time, these simple mums were turned into lavish pieces- now artificial flowers, incorporating dozens of long ribbons, cow bells, stuffed animals and even LED lights. The incorporated colors normally represent the owner's school colors and are personalized for their interests. For example, a cheerleader most likely will own a mum with cheer ornaments while a volleyball player will probably own a mum that contains volleyball ornaments. In addition to the girls receiving mums from the boys, they now in turn give "garters" to the boys. Most often, a couple's mum and garter match in at least one way or another.
Because this tradition has grown to be so big in Texas, people have started taking advantage of the opportunity and turning it into a money-making opportunity. There are mum-making stores that sell hundreds of ribbons and ornaments that can be bought to make personalized mums. There are also professional mum-makers who sell their creations. These can be bought anywhere from $60-$300.
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My school's colors are white and blue. However, because our school is a public charter school, we traditionally incorporate the public schools' colors- white and green. Additionally, as a senior, my mum incorporated a lot of white, as well.
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10/5/14:
http://www.gardendesign.com/contemporary/homecoming-mums-a-texas-tradition
