Editing Esperanto symbols

{{Short description|Symbols of the Esperanto language}}
{{Esperanto sidebar|expanded=Culture}}
{{More citations needed|date = July 2020}}
[[File:2008 uk flagoj.JPG|thumbnail|Esperanto flags prominently displaying the ''Verda Stelo'' in [[Rotterdam]], the Netherlands]]
'''Esperanto symbols''', primarily the '''Esperanto flag''', have seen much consistency over the time of [[Esperanto]]'s existence (namely in the consistent usage of the colour green), though a few variations in exact flag patterning and symbology exist.

The main flag of Esperanto, featuring the '''{{Langx|eo|Verda Stelo|label=none}}''' (''''Green Star'''<nowiki/>'), was adopted in 1905 for use as a symbol of mutual recognition among [[Esperantist]]s, and is used by most Esperantists. As an alternative to the flag, the ''[[jubilea simbolo]]'' ('jubilee symbol') was proposed in 1987.

== History ==

=== ''Verda Stelo'' ===
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[[Image:Esperanto star.svg|thumb|right|The Green Star ({{Lang|eo|Verda Stelo}})]]
Since the earliest days of Esperanto, the colour green has been used as a symbol of mutual recognition, and it appears prominently in all Esperanto symbols.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rapley |first1=Ian |title=When global and local culture meet: Esperanto in 1920s rural Japan |journal=Language Problems and Language Planning |date=1 January 2013 |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=179–196 |doi=10.1075/lplp.37.2.04rap |url=https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/lplp.37.2.04rap |access-date=13 March 2023 |quote="Green being the colour adopted by the international Esperanto community, usually in the form of either a green star, or a green flag with a white star" |url-access=subscription}}</ref> In a letter to ''The British Esperantist'' in 1911, [[L. L. Zamenhof]], the creator of Esperanto, wrote: "It seems to me, that my attention was drawn to the color green by Mr. [[Richard H. Geoghegan]] and from that time I began to publish all of my works with green covers . . .  Looking at one of my pamphlets that I had entirely by chance printed with a green cover, he pointed out that this was the color of his homeland, Ireland; at that time it came to me, that we could certainly look at that color as a symbol of HOPE. About the five-pointed star, it seems to me, that at first Mr. [[Louis de Beaufront|de Beaufront]] had it imprinted on his grammar [of Esperanto]. I liked that and I adopted it as a symbol. Afterward by association of ideas, the star appeared with a green color."<ref>{{Cite journal |date=February 1912 |title=La Deveno de la Verda Stelo |url=https://archive.org/details/britaesperantisto_1912_n086_feb/page/33/mode/1up |journal=The British Esperantist |issue=86 |pages=34}}</ref>

The ''Verda Stelo'' was first proposed in an 1892 article in [[La Esperantisto]] for use as a symbol of mutual recognition among [[Esperantist|Esperantists]]. The [[flag]] was created by the Esperanto Club of [[Boulogne-sur-Mer]], initially for their own use, but was adopted as the flag of the worldwide Esperanto movement by a decision of the first [[World Esperanto Congress]], which took place in 1905 in that town.

=== Other proposed flags and symbols ===
[[File:Jubilea simbolo.svg|The Jubilee symbol ({{Lang|eo|jubilea simbolo}})|thumb]]
[[File:1 Spesmilo.png|thumb|Esperanto coin 1 [[Spesmilo]], international currency used before [[World War I]]]]

In 1905, delegates to the first conference of Esperantists at Boulogne-sur-Mer, unanimously approved a version differing from the modern only by the superimposition of an "E" over the green star. Other variants include that for Christian Esperantists, with a white Christian cross superimposed upon the green star, and that for Leftists, with the color of the field changed from green to red.<ref name=FOTW>{{cite web |url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/qy-eo.html |title=Esperanto Flag }}</ref>

Some Esperanto speakers{{who|date=March 2019}} consider the traditional flag too [[nationalist]]ic for an international [[language]], so many organizations no longer recommend its use and, instead, use the [[jubilea simbolo]] (''jubilee symbol'', two green "[[E]]"s facing each other—or alternatively a Latin-alphabet "E" facing a Cyrillic-alphabet "Э", the first letter of "Эсперанто", the Russian name for Esperanto—on a white field).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fians |first1=Guilherme |title=Esperanto revolutionaries and geeks : language politics, digital media and the making of an international community |date=2021 |location=Cham |isbn=9783030842307 |chapter=When Esperantists Meet, or What Makes This Community International?}}</ref>{{rp|96}} This symbol was created in 1987 by a [[Brazil]]ian Esperantist to mark the centenary of the creation of Esperanto.{{cn|date=July 2020}}

== Design of the ''Verda Stelo'' ==
[[File:Esperanto flag - construction.svg|thumbnail|Proportions of the Esperanto flag]]
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The Esperanto [[flag]] is composed of a green background with a white square ([[Canton (flag)|canton]]) in the upper lefthand corner, which in turn contains a green star. The green field symbolizes [[hope]],<ref name="anthro-heller">{{cite journal |last1=Heller |first1=Monica |title=Dr. Esperanto, or Anthropology as Alternative Worlds: Dr. Esperanto, or Anthropology as Alternative Worlds |journal=American Anthropologist |date=March 2017 |volume=119 |issue=1 |pages=12–22 |doi=10.1111/aman.12824}}</ref> the white symbolizes [[peace]] and neutrality{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}, and the [[five-pointed star]] represents the five [[continent]]s ([[Europe]], [[Americas|America]], [[Asia]], [[Oceania]], [[Africa]]).<ref name="anthro-heller" /> 

By recommendation of the board of the [[Universal Esperanto Association]], the flag should have the following proportions: The ratio of the width of the flag to the height of the flag to a side of the white square should be 3 to 2 to 1. The ratio of a side of the white square to the radius of a circle enclosing the star should be 10 to 3.5.

== In popular culture ==
Most Esperantists continue to hold the ''verda stelo'' dear as a symbol of international or supranational solidarity (with the ''jubilea simbolo'' jokingly called ''la melono'' ('the melon') by some), though many also regard the preference of one symbol over another as a purely personal choice. At most Esperanto congresses, the flag, the star, and the ''jubilea simbolo'' can all be seen in use on displays or being worn as badges. Sometimes, Esperanto travelers will display the flag, wear a badge with one of the above symbols, or even wear green clothes, to make themselves known to other Esperanto speakers.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stria |first1=Ida |title=Linguistic worldview in multilingual groups as an indicator of developing a communal identity : the case of Esperanto |journal=Etnolingwistyka. Problemy Języka I Kultury |date=2018 |volume=30 |page=215 |doi=10.17951/et.2018.30.215 |url=https://ispan.waw.pl/ireteslaw/bitstream/handle/20.500.12528/1621/Linguistic%20worldview%20in%20multilingual%20groups.pdf |access-date=13 March 2023 |quote="Many Esperantists display a habit of wearing t-shirts portraying Zamenhof and declaring knowledge of Esperanto"}}</ref>

On December 15, 2009, the ''Verda Stelo'' flew on the [[Google]] home search page "Google" logo to mark [[L. L. Zamenhof]]'s 150th birthday. The flag flew on a flagstaff consisting of the "L" in the [[Web search engine|search]]-company's name.<ref>{{Cite web|title=150th Birthday of LL Zamenhof|url=https://doodles.google/doodle/150th-birthday-of-ll-zamenhof/|access-date=2020-08-30|website=Google|language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
* {{Anl|Esperanto jubilee symbol}}
* {{Anl|Finvenkismo}}
* {{anli|Flag icons for languages}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esperanto Symbols}}
[[Category:Esperanto culture|Flag]]
[[Category:Lists of symbols]]
[[Category:Star symbols]]
[[Category:Peace symbols]]
[[Category:Language identifiers]]