Every year in December, to commemorate the birth of the creator of Esperanto, the Center for Intercultural Education (CEM) celebrates “Zamenhof Day.” This year, our celebrations took place on December 19, 2025. The event featured the traditional Zamenhof cake, tributes to our late friend Roman Dobrzyński, and the singing of Christmas carols in both Esperanto and Polish.
“Zamenhof Day” and the exhibition “Esperanto Beyond the Borders of Time and Space” (which had its official opening on November 7, 2025, at the Galician Town Hall in Nowy Sącz) were our two major events honoring Ludwik Zamenhof. Information regarding these initiatives was published on the global Esperanto platform, “Eventa Servo.”
The celebration at the Municipal Cultural Center (MOK) began with a welcome speech by Jolanta Kieres, Vice President of the CEM Board. Among the guests was Jadwiga Banach, representing the Board of the SUTW (University of the Third Age). While thanking for the invitation, she extended her heartfelt wishes for the continued success of our association and expressed her confidence in the ongoing cooperation between CEM and SUTW.
Jolanta Kieres provided a brief overview of the traditions and various ways Zamenhof Day is celebrated by Esperantists worldwide. Following this, the “Esperanto Anthem” was performed, accompanied by Alicja Skalska on the accordion.
The highlight of the meeting was a tribute to the late Roman Dobrzyński, an outstanding Polish Esperantist, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. Maria Baran delivered a lecture on his life and work, focusing particularly on his collaboration with the Esperantists of Nowy Sącz. Her presentation concluded with a poem by Halina Różanek, an Esperantist from Szczecin, read by Wanda Śmigielska. Halina wrote the poem in 2022 during our 30-person group’s visit to Germany.
The meeting continued with personal anecdotes from our members. Bożena Kocyk spoke about her private meetings and engaging conversations with Roman. She also presented several of his books, warmly encouraging everyone to read them. Alicja Skalska, Jolanta Kieres, and Lidia Komar also shared their personal memories of him.
The late Roman Dobrzyński – an eminent Esperantist, writer, filmmaker, and a kind-hearted man with a great sense of humor – remains in our hearts as a dear Friend.
During the event, students from the Esperanto language courses led by Jolanta Kieres performed a short, humorous sketch based on a text by R. Dobrzyński. The script was adapted by Ewa Merha, and the roles were performed by Zofia Homoncik and Wanda Śmigielska.
With Christmas approaching, the gathering joined in a choral singing of carols in Esperanto and Polish, again accompanied by Alicja Skalska. Christmas and New Year wishes were exchanged, with a particularly joyful set of wishes presented by Wanda Śmigielska. In a warm and friendly atmosphere, everyone enjoyed the traditional “Zamenhof Cake”.
Maria Baran & adm & AI
