In your studies of Esperanto, you may have encountered La Verda Stelo, one of two major symbols of the language. It’s a readily recognizable image, easy to draw and easier to print! You might wonder where the symbol came from, or why the Esperanto movement decided on the green star as its emblem, so here are some tidbits about the insignia of the universal language.

(verda = green; stelo = star. La = definite article.)

La Verda Stelo first appeared early on in Esperanto’s lifetime. An 1892 article in “La Esperantisto,” the first Esperanto magazine, suggested that a green star be used as a symbol of recognition among Esperantists. The community agreed. I haven’t seen one in a while, but you once could buy little pins emblazoned with the green star, to show that you speak Esperanto. The symbol was so widely supported that it ended up on the Esperanto flag, decided by the unua Universala Kongreso de Esperanto in 1905.

(unu = one; -a = denotes adjective; unua = first.  Kongreso = congress.)
Kial ni uzas la verdan stelon? Esperantists have said that the use of the color green symbolizes hope – perhaps the fresh hope for world peace that Zamenhof envisioned! The star has five points instead of any other number because each point symbolizes one of the major continents: Africa, North America, South America, Eurasia, and Oceania. Notice that each of the continents is presented without political boundaries, to view them as only the physical entities seen from a global view of la mondo.

(kial = ki- correlative meaning “why;” uzi = to use. Mondo = world.)