Figure 1.--Here we see Young pioneers paradeing in Riga, Latvia. As you can see, young pioneers' uniform was common for whole Soviet Union. Note the little Soviet flags that children carry. Note the flag in the backgrouns at the extreme right is the flag of the "Oktyabryonok" (october's children) group. That is children 7-9 years old. The flag has a star with a portrait of Lenin as a boy. The next flag is the national flag of the Soviet Union (USSR). THe other flags aresome of the Union Respublics (from right to left: Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Russia).

One activity that we do know about was that the Pioneers were used as a way of organizing children to participate in parades for important national celebrations. There are many photographs of Pioneers participating in parades for on important national celebrations. They were almost a required part of important national celebrations. On the previous page we saw an especially large group of Young Pioneers parading. It was probably the 50th anniversary of the Young Pioneers celebrated in 1972. We find that it is curious that for a celevration of the Young Pioneer anniversary that the children do not wear their Pioneer uniforms. In fact a new uniform was just adopted in 1968-69. It is incoceivable for example that American or English boys would parade in anything but the official SDcout uniform--especially an anniversary of Scouting. A Soviet reader tells us that these uniforms were just for the parade and the children had to turn them in afterwards. We more commonly see the Pioneers parading in their own standard uniforms. Here we see Young pioneers paradeing in Riga, Latvia (figure 1). As you can see, young pioneers' uniform was common for whole Soviet Union. Note the little Soviet flags that children carry. Note the flag in the backgrouns at the extreme right is the flag of the "Oktyabryonok" (october's children) group. That is children 7-9 years old. The flag has a star with a portrait of Lenin as a boy. The next flag is the national flag of the Soviet Union (USSR). THe other flags aresome of the Union Respublics (from right to left: Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Russia).