It is homecoming season, and schools across the country are preparing for one of their most anticipated weekends, Homecoming festivities vary from place to place, but they all honor the legacy and history of the school, inviting alumni “back home” to celebrate with current students. From football rivalries to the homecoming King and Queen, every school has its own customs. In recognition of this special occasion, we have collected a few interesting stories of how some of our favorite traditions began .
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When Homecoming Began: The NCAA historical society tells us that the University of Missouri hosted the very first homecoming event in 1910. With the most important football game of the year fast approaching, the athletic department wanted to ensure that there were plenty of people in attendance to support the team. They decide to ask alumni to “come home” for the game. When over 10,000 alumni and guests overran the campus on game day, they knew they had a successful idea.
Light My Fire: Many schools light bonfires during their Friday night pep rallies. This tradition originated on the campus of Baylor University, even before the University of Missouri homecoming experiment. The school recruited freshmen to tend overnight fires designed to discourage pranksters from rival Texas Christian University from sneaking onto campus.
Electing A Queen: In the 1930’s, universities began selecting a homecoming queen to represent their school. She was chosen from among a group of candidates, known as the “Court”. Originally both the court and the Queen were selected based upon the float they created to ride in the homecoming parade, but eventually the selection was simplified to a much less time intesive vote.
Why Corsages and Boutonnieres? Wearing a corsage to a prom or homecoming dance is a cherished tradition. The concept of the wearable flowers originated in the early 1800’s in Europe, at a time when people wore flowers for purposes ranging from personal hygiene to promoting social status. Another usage for these flowers was a courtship ritual – when a couple wanted to attend special event together, the young man was expected to offer flowers to his sweethearts parents. If they deemed the offering acceptable, she would affix the bouquet to her bodice, and then choose a flower to pin it to his lapel – creating the tradition of matching corsages and boutonnieres.
Zeidler’s Flowers will create the most beautiful Evansville homecoming flowers for the big weekend, and just as we provide bouquets and arrangements or all of your special occasions year-round. Start by browsing our online wearable flowers collection, or simply give us a call today.
