Nominations for potential Esperanto holidays? Posted by Leks on Jan 23, 2016
Hello everyone! Let me wish you a heavily belated Happy New Year! Better yet, let me do it in Esperanto: Feliĉan novjaron! What were your decidecoj this year? Have you done a good job sticking to them so far? (My major resolution for 2016 was to learn to cook using tofu at long last –…
Raŭmismo and Civitanismo Posted by Leks on Nov 28, 2015
In contrast to the concept of finvenkismo we discussed in the last blog entry, I’d like to turn our attentions toward another movement within Esperanto, with which you might be familiar: raŭmismo, and one of its offshoots, civitanismo. Don’t bother looking for an Esperanto root this time! The term “raŭmismo” comes from Rauma, the name…
Finvenkismo Posted by Leks on Nov 17, 2015
Today I’d like to talk about finvenkismo, one of the many ideological undercurrents of Esperanto. It doesn’t have a straightforward, single-term English translation, but a quick glance at its roots will give you an idea of what it means. The suffix -ismo is exactly like -ism in English, denoting a movement or school of thought…
Merits and Myths Behind Some Esperanto Symbols: The Esperanto Flag Posted by Leks on Oct 30, 2015
The last of the three symbols I’ll cover in this series is la Esperanto-flago, the Flag of Esperanto. Since it as more or less equally as ubiquitous as the verda stelo, odds are you have seen it before. It is a field of green, with a patch of white in the upper-left corner. The green…
Merits and Myths Behind Some Esperanto Symbols: The Jubilee Symbol Posted by Leks on Oct 28, 2015
Another Esperanto symbol you’ve likely seen in your adventures is the jubilea simbolo, or Jubilee Symbol. It’s an oval-ish shape consisting of six prongs reaching toward one another in pairs, looking like two rounded, mirrored E’s. Some Esperantists who aren’t especially fond of this symbol call it la melono [the melon] in mockery – a…
Merits and Myths Behind Some Esperanto Symbols: The Green Star Posted by Leks on Sep 29, 2015
One of the reasons Esperanto has remained such a recognizable language over the years might have something to do with its branding. Three vibrant, eye-catching symbols mark both the language and the movement associated with it: the verda stelo [green star], the jubilea simbolo [jubilee symbol], and the flago de Esperanto [Esperanto flag]. If you’ve…
Esperanto Filmoj and the “New Esperanto” Posted by Leks on Sep 26, 2015
Have you ever heard of the film production company Esperanto Filmoj? You might recognize it from its affiliation with the prominent directors Guillermo del Toro (of Pan’s Labyrinth fame, which Esperanto Filmoj helped make), and Alfonzo Cuarón (the man behind Gravity and Children of Men, as well as the owner of Esperanto Filmoj). Its name…