History of Homecoming Mums: The OG is a Chrysanthemum
In today’s world of Texas high school homecoming mum traditions, the chrysanthemum is the flower that started it all.
What is a chrysanthemum, aka Mum?
Chrysanthemums, or “mums” for short, come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They can be used as annuals or planted as perennials in a sunny spot to be enjoyed year after year. Chrysanthemums naturally bloom in the fall (although are cultivated to bloom year-round) and are quite hearty.
The National Chrysanthemum Society classifies 13 types of chrysanthemums.
Although the irregular incurve chrysanthemum has enjoyed some popularity as a corsage and decorative flower, particularly in the early 1900s, the regular incurve chrysanthemum, like the one you see here, is the classification most people recognize from traditional football corsages. This is also the style of bloom that is widely available today as an artificial flower, one that is highly preferred by homecoming mum makers and DIYers.
Regular incurve chrysanthemum plants grow tall and form large, ball-like blossoms with incurving petals. Just like the other chrysanthemum varietals, the regular incurve mum comes in many colors including this nearly-white varietal (which goes with every outfit!)
For a great overview of all 13 varietals of chrysanthemums, visit hgtv.com/outdoors/flowers-and-plants/flowers/types-of-mums
the History of the Chrysanthemum
The chrysanthemum has a very long history, much longer than football in the United States!
According to FTD.com, the flower was first cultivated in China thousands of years ago. The flower was used by the Chinese as an herbal remedy. Its boiled roots were believed to provide headache relief, and its sprouts and petals were eaten in salads.
Around AD 400, Buddhist monks brought the chrysanthemum to Japan, and the flower quickly became so popular that Japanese Emperor Go-Toba (1180–1239) adopted it as the Imperial Emblem of Japan!
Today, the chrysanthemum (Kiku in Japanese) is recognized as the national flower. Every September, according to japancitytour.com, the Japanese celebrate an official day of the chrysanthemum, known as Chōyō, which literally means “Chrysanthemum Festival.”
Symbolism of the Chrysanthemum
According to FTD.com and hgtv.com, chrysanthemums hold various meanings across different time periods and cultures:
Since the flower blooms in the fall, in many cultures the chrysanthemum signifies joy and beauty despite the oncoming winter.
Victorians used chrysanthemums to show friendship and well-wishing.
In Australia, chrysanthemums are the official flower for Mother’s Day due to their nickname “mums.”
Buddhists use the chrysanthemum as offerings due to their powerful Yang energy.
Throughout Asia today, chrysanthemum meaning embraces the idea of long life and rebirth. Many times these colorful flowers are included as part of birthday celebrations and baby showers.
One other important meaning of chrysanthemum in Japan has to do with death. White chrysanthemum blooms are reserved for funerals and decorating graves.
In several European nations, including Belgium, Italy, France and Austria, the only time chrysanthemum flowers are given in these nations is as a token of comfort, grief, or bereavement.
In Britain and the United States, chrysanthemum meaning tends to flow more along the lines of happiness, optimism, and longevity.
Generally speaking, in the language of floral colors, red mums signify love, yellow mark rejection or sadness, and white symbolize steadfast loyalty and devoted love (with notable exceptions listed above). In Greek, “chrysos” translates as gold, which is the original color of the first chrysanthemum, and “anthos” translates as flower.
Chrysanthemums and the Dawn of Football in the United States
Around the turn of the 20th century, chrysanthemums were popular in the United States and even considered haute couture for a well-dressed bride, her bouquet, and even wedding decor. As the the flower’s popularity grew (pun intended), florists began offering them as centerpieces for up-scale events, as well as corsages associated with date night traditions like dances and other special nights out.
Learn more about the evolution and history of homecoming mums in Texas and the United States. Buy the book >
The popularity of chrysanthemums coincided with the rise of college and high school football in the United States. According to NCAA.com, by the early 20th century, college football was going strong across the country and high school football was, too.
The first time the term “homecoming” was used to describe a series of events at the college level was in 1909. Both Southwestern University (Georgetown, TX) and Baylor University (Waco, TX) hosted homecomings that year, and both held at least one athletic event as a part of their festivities (Baylor’s was football; the records are unclear if football was part of Southwestern’s). In 1911, the University of Missouri hosted its first homecoming, including a football game.
Many traditions associated with college football—such as pep rallies, marching bands, mascots, dances, and the concept of a homecoming itself—were mirrored at the high school level across the United States. Football was no longer “just” a game. It was a social opportunity.
Because this was an era driven by dating etiquette, a young man was expected to give his date a corsage when he took her to a social occasion, particularly if it involved a dance. In return, the young woman would sometimes present him with a boutonniere.
Chrysanthemums were popular and plentiful in the fall, and football was played in the fall. The result? A natural if not inevitable convergence of chrysanthemums and football!
Fans take in the 1913 Mizzou Homecoming game between the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas. Note the chrysanthemum flowers in the first row!
In my TikTok below, you’ll see a photo taken in 1936 of Baylor University’s homecoming queen, holding a football, posing in front of a homecoming float, and wearing a homecoming corsage, made with (what else?) a live chrysanthemum flower.
A 30-second Visual History of Homecoming Mums
By the late 1940s, mums were considered the traditional football homecoming corsage flower for colleges and high schools across the country. According to the National Chrysanthemum Society, live mums were the largest commercially-produced flower in the United States for decades following World War II.
Then, in the 1950s-60s, something started to happen in Texas that would change the course of homecoming corsage history forever.
Artificial flowers.
