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I first learned about the existence of return mamma when I was swan the aisles of a Houston Hobby Lobby with my booster Jenny and my college boyfriend , both native Texans . Suddenly , I turned into an gangway of giant ( and I intend jumbo ) corsagesque - thing . " What are these ? " I asked . ( I was born in Texas , but I was n’t raised there , so I am not culturally Texan . ) They reckon at me with surprisal and Jenny sound out , " Mums . Did n’t you have these growing up ? "
mummy , it become out , are a very specific tradition , popular only in Texas ( and parts of Oklahoma ) and are huge , ginormous corsages .
Since my fateful skirmish with the Hobby Lobby florists' chrysanthemum , I always make a point to ask Texan charwoman that I play about their mum memories and almost always , they will email me a photo of themselves in high school , covered with a jumbo florist’s chrysanthemum . And yesterday , one of these Texas friends sent me a link to ablog situation by Lee Ann Lewisabout mums , prompt me that for Texans , Chrysanthemum morifolium season is just now roll down .
As I have discovered in my casual sleuthing , not much is have a go at it about how , when , or why this tradition commence , but popular oral account seems to date stamp the custom to around the 1950s . In the flush of post - war successfulness - and also credibly because October and November are prime month for chrysanthemum efflorescence - gamey schoolhouse boys began buying chrysanthemum corsages for their date for homecoming . The chrysanthemum were decorated with medallion , and sure enough expectant , but since they were work up around real flowers , relatively little . The blogReporting Texassays that in the sixties , these Chrysanthemum morifolium corsages cost about $ 3 each .
[ Learn more on how to rise & care for chysanthemums here . ]
Then , Texas being Texas , things got bigger and a little crazy . The principal flower metamorphose into one made out ofsilk ribbons , teddy bear were added , flash Christ Within , and yes , line horn . As far as I can recite , you may buy your date a pre - made mum , which can easily run to $ 200 or $ 300 dollar , or your mommy can make your engagement a mum . ( Hence , the provision I see at Hobby Lobby . * ) The mums are wear to school the mean solar day of the homecoming game .
- I must have get a gleam of envy in my middle , because my college swain , not a homecoming - game - assist sort of person , chop-chop walked away to look intensely at anything that was not the aisle of mum madness .
To quote my friendSarah Rufca , a Texan and an editor in chief for Culture Map Houston , who write to me about mums , " I can recite you I see mammy in mellow school so elaborate that the girls wearing them could have amount to school naked and been totally embrace . "
