What Are Homecoming Mums? The Texas Tradition Explained (Plus How to Make One)

As an Amazon Associate, Texas Journeys earns from qualifying purchases. Product links on this page may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.

If you see a teenager in Texas walking to school in October wearing what looks like a ribbon waterfall with a flower on top, you’ve met a homecoming mum. Mums are one of the most Texas traditions there is, a little over the top and completely beloved. Here’s where they came from, what goes on one and how to make your own.

What is a homecoming mum?

A mum is a large corsage, traditionally worn by girls, that’s pinned to the chest or hung around the neck for homecoming week and the homecoming football game. It starts with a silk chrysanthemum (that’s where the name comes from) in school colors, with long ribbons hanging below it covered in trinkets, letters, bells, braids and the student’s name. Boys traditionally wear a smaller version called a garter on the upper arm, although today anyone can wear either one.

Where the tradition came from

Homecoming itself grew out of efforts to bring alumni back for big football games in the early 1900s. Chrysanthemums were a popular fall flower at the time, and giving a date a real mum with a ribbon to wear to the game became a custom. According to KSAT, the University of Missouri is often credited with the first homecoming mums.

Texas took the idea and kept going. As the state’s population boomed after World War II and through the 1960s, new schools opened faster than florists could keep up, and artificial flowers took over from real ones. In the 1970s, families started making mums at home, and craft stores helped turn the mum into a do-it-yourself project. Every year the mums got bigger.

What’s on a mum?

• The flower: one or more silk mums in school colors, often white with colored centers.
• Ribbons: dozens of ribbons in school colors, in different widths and finishes.
• Braids and chains: braided ribbon, sometimes with the student’s name or graduation year.
• Letters and lettering: the student’s name, class year, sport or activity spelled out in glitter letters or vinyl on ribbon.
• Trinkets: mini footballs, megaphones, music notes, cowbells, the school mascot, teddy bears and charms showing the student’s activities.
• Bells: so you hear a mum coming down the hallway before you see it.
• Lights: battery-powered LED strings on many modern mums.

Traditions by grade

Many schools have unspoken rules about colors by class year. A common version: freshmen wear white mums, sophomores and juniors wear school colors, and seniors wear the biggest mums, often with silver or gold trim. Customs vary from school to school, so ask a local before you shop.

How much do mums cost?

It depends on size and whether you make it or buy it. According to a mum-maker quoted by KSAT, garters start around $35 and full custom mums can run $600 to $700. A homemade mum with supplies from a craft store or online usually costs much less, often well under $100 for a medium-size mum.

How to make a homecoming mum

1. Choose the base. Start with a cardboard or foam mum backer and a silk mum flower, or a mum kit in your school colors.
2. Plan your layout. Lay out ribbons from widest in the back to narrowest in the front. Decide where trinkets and names will go.
3. Attach the ribbons. Staple or hot-glue loops of ribbon to the backer in layers, working from the outside in.
4. Add the braids and name ribbons. Glue on letters or use a vinyl cutter to add the student’s name and year.
5. Add trinkets and bells. Hot-glue or tie on the charms.
6. Add the flower and lights. Glue the silk mum to the center, then tuck in LED lights with the battery pack hidden in the back.
7. Add a way to wear it. Glue a pin back for a small mum, or a neck ribbon or harness for a big one. Very large mums can weigh several pounds.

Supplies to make your own mum

These are the supplies Texas mum makers use most:

• A homecoming mum kit, the easiest way for first-timers to get everything at once.
• Silk mum flowers in white or school colors.
• Bulk satin ribbon in your school colors.
• Mum trinkets and charms such as footballs, megaphones and mascots.
• Craft bells for that classic mum jingle.
• Battery-operated fairy lights to make it glow.
• A high-temp hot glue gun. You’ll go through a lot of glue sticks.

Mum tips from Texas parents

• Start two to three weeks before homecoming; ribbons take longer than you think.
• Check school rules on size and noise. Some schools limit bells or ban mums in class.
• Reinforce the back with an extra layer of cardboard for big mums.
• Keep mums in a closet afterward. Many Texans keep every mum from high school.

Got a mum you’re proud of? Share a photo with us on the Texas Journeys Facebook page.

Read next: A Fan’s Guide to a Texas Friday Night.