The origins of the Homecoming tradition

Homecoming is an American tradition that has been around for over 100 years. This celebration was originally centered around the fact that alumni and students were “coming home” back to college from the summer, hence its name. However, in 2019, it is seen as a way to help welcome students, in both high school and college, back to school and celebrate the new year ahead.  Homecoming first became a tradition at various colleges, and the University of Baylor, Illinois and Missouri are the three schools that all claim the title of the first celebration. According to VICE, Harvard and Yale have been hosting a homecoming game between themselves since 1870, claiming they were the first. These colleges organized rallies, parades, speeches and dances to celebrate the long-lived tradition, but the football games were always the main event. In 1927, the movie "Chronicles of the Day" was filmed at Ohio University and depicts how the popular football games and parade floats of the ’20s still mirror many of Samo's current homecoming traditions. At some schools, Homecoming means alumni come home to their old school and see friends and teachers. At other schools, it is a parade or football game against the school's biggest rivals. Most often, there is a homecoming court in which two senior students are elected as school king and queen.  When teacher and Samo alum Matthew Flanders (’89) was a student at Samo, the game and rally was much more popular than the dance. However, he still recalls that many of the traditions have stayed the same, although there is much less school spirit today. “I remember it as more of an event. Back then, everyone went to the football games, so more people participated in that campus social life. I was also on the water polo team, so I ran green...which made it more fun,” Flanders said.   Typically, the main event is the dance, often referred to as a “baby prom”. Since homecoming and prom are similar dances, confusion as to what the distinction is between them often arises. One of the main differences is that homecoming is much more inclusive than prom and welcomes all grades. In addition, it is also more casual and students tend to wear short dresses and some may choose to wear two pieces.  Homecoming celebrations are meant to welcome students and alumni back from summer and reunite the school again through spirited traditions.