Membership

Just a bit of Girl Scout history

by Jo Anna D. Harris

The Girl Scout Sign, the Scout’s Own ceremony, the Quiet Sign… these are just a few of the many traditions Girl Scouts still practice today. Since many of these traditions are celebrated worldwide, girl members gain a sense of belonging to the larger international organization, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Girl Scout traditions are rooted in history, making girls realize that they are part of something very special. Here is the history behind three time-honored Girl Scout traditions.

Ashes of Friendship

The taking of ashes from one campfire to another is a ceremony done by Girl Scouts, Girl Guides, and Boy Scouts all around the world. The main purpose of these ashes is to bring to all Scouts and Guides the international aspect of the world of Scouting. Ashes taken from a campfire are sprinkled into the flames of the next campfire. The next morning when the ashes are cold, they are stirred and each Scout/Guide present at the ceremony takes some to mix with the next campfire. Each Scout/Guide keeps a list of all of the campfires that they have sprinkled their ashes in. If more than one Scout/Guide brings ashes to the campfire, the lists are combined and the dates and places of all campfires are recorded and passed on. As Girl Scouts, Girl Guides and Boy Scouts travel, the ashes circle the globe. It is a tradition that only those actually present at the campfire can receive ashes from the ceremony to carry on to another campfire.

The Girl Scout Handshake

While Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts was serving in West Africa and he learned about two neighboring tribes who were always fighting each other. One day, the tribes realized that it would be much better to live as good neighbors, so they put down their shields and spears and met one another with their left hands held out to show that they were without weapons and came to greet each other as someone who could be trusted and treated as a friend. Today, as Girl Scouts, we shake hands with our left hands as a show of Girl Scout friendship.

The Girl Scout Badge

Girl Scout badges are a great tradition in Girl Scouting. The very first Girl Scout troops earned a badge called “Health.”

The requirements were:

1. Do not chew gum.
2. Eat no sweets, candy, or cake between meals for three months.
3. Drink nothing but water for a year (except tea, coffee, chocolate, or cocoa).
4. Walk a mile daily for three months.
5. Sleep with a window open.
6. Take a bath or rub all over with a wet towel daily for three months.

Although the badges and other recognitions that girls earn today are very different from the Health badge of yesteryear, the basic idea of girls learning new skills and demonstrating proficiency in those skills is still practiced.