Figure 1.--

A HBU nother reader provides some insight on how the scarf and how it was used by the Pioneers.

Quality

In USSR our young pioneer scarves usually were not of good quality. Usually they were red only in the shop - originally scarlet, they fainted quickly and later looked more alike orange than red. Their edges were not stitched usually so those scarves could easily be torn. And more - the cloth were of bad quality and could easily be melted by an iron. But extremely rarely you could meet a young pioneer scarf from Czechoslovakia. Dark-purple, glossy, with stitched edges, made of silk - to have such a Pioneer scarf was really cool! It was impossible to buy such a pioneer scarf in the store - there was an only way - you could exchange it for something non less valuable.

Summer Camps

In Pioneer Summer camps in USSR we often celebrated the so-called "international month", when children from other countries (mainly from the former socialist camp) joined us at camp. No doubt, only "the best" (both in learning and discipline) Soviet children could be invited to such a camp. The children in each pioneer camp children were divided onto squads. Usually children from abroad formed a special squad or two - like "Czechoslovakia squad" or "German squad". So they took part in all games and other activities along with Soviet children - but usually they lived in separate buildings. There were a tradition - to exchange with young pioneer scarves on the parting bonfire. Scarves of Young Pioneers from DDR were blue, and Soviet kids couldn't wear 'em in school - just keep at home as a souvenir. But in Czechoslovakia scarves were red, just like in USSR - and so Soviet kids could wear them in schools without problems.

Internationl Friends Club (KID)

Another way to aquire such a pioneer scarf was to enlist in the so-called "International Friends Club" (in Russian - KID). Under a strict control of a club leader (usually a foreign language teacher) children were allowed to exchange letters with boys and girls living in socialistic countries. Often children put some small or light things in the envelopes along with letters - alike postmarks, postcards, badges and sometimes carefully packed pioneer scarves.