For October, our Object of the Month is Petko Hristov’s photograph of himself as a boy in Pioneer uniform, taken in Bulgaria in May 1976.
Below is the conversation about this photograph between Petko and Clare Rose:
CR: I would like to know if the uniform or any part of it (scarf maybe?) was worn to school or if it was only worn for Pioneer activities and parades.
PH: YES, it was an official uniform only for solemn holidays, but we were all obliged to be members of the so-called Pioneer Organization. On weekdays you could go to school in plain clothes without uniforms. But this is only up to 8th grade, ie. up to 14-15 years of age.
CR: Were there any marks of status on the uniform (group leader insignia, badges to show you had achieved certain skills, badges for your local unit, etc ?
PH: Yes, the sign on the shirt is that I am the “commander of the district pioneer headquarters” (the terminology is like in the army), and the inscription on the band says “excellent”, ie. student with excellent results. This band was put on us from the school authorities on May 24, the Day of Bulgarian education and culture and a holiday of the Bulgarian school.
For more information, see the discussion on the IN2FROCC facebook page which will go live on October 13 at 12 noon
