All participants were invited to the ceremony, which usually took place in a local hall or theatre. After an official speech and the pledge to the socialist State, most were presented with flowers by the Young Pioneers. Until 1974 the state gave every young adolescent the book "Weltall Erde Mensch" (Universe, Earth, Man), which contained general knowledge in addition to propagandistic sayings. After 1974 everyone received the purely propagandistic book "Der Sozialismus - Deine Welt" (Socialism - Your World) and in the last years of the GDR the book "Vom Sinn unseres Lebens" (Of the Meaning of Our Lives) was given. There was also a certificate. After the public ceremony, most of the rest of the day was spent with one's family and classmates.