Every year in December, Esperantists worldwide celebrate “Zamenhof Days” with great solemnity. The festivities commemorate the birth of Ludwik Zamenhof, the creator of the Esperanto language and Esperanto idea, who was born on December 15, 1859 in Białystok.
The Center for Intercultural Education also dedicated its December club meeting to Ludwik Zamenhof and Esperanto. A significant surprise for the thirty-some participants was the presence of … Ludwik Zamenhof himself, who addressed the attendees with a few heartfelt words.
The celebration of Zamenhof’s birthday by Esperantists takes various forms. There are short one-day or several-hour ceremonies of an intimate nature, and often open events for a broad audience. In larger Esperanto communities, the festivities can last for several days. During these celebrations, there are meetings and lectures on the life and activities of L. Zamenhof, integration meetings with a traditional birthday cake, laying flowers at monuments, exhibitions of books in Esperanto (both original and translations), film screenings, concerts, performances, contests, and excursions. Esperantists also “gather” at virtual meetings. Often, Zamenhof Day celebrations are an opportunity to showcase Jewish culture, its significance in the life of nations and cities.
We watched a play titled “Tych miasteczek nie ma już” (These little towns are no more) performed by the “Gwiazdeczki” group (affiliated with SUTW). The play features fellow Esperantists and aligns with one of the activities of our CEM, presenting the diversity of Jewish culture.
The next part of the meeting involved presenting the profiles of Esperantists from Nowy Sącz: Stanisława Tyrkiel, Maria Kosiaty, and Maria Budacz. These individuals were actively involved in the Polish Esperanto Association branch in Nowy Sącz and the Esperanto Club at the City Cultural Center from the 1960s to the early 21st century. Mrs. Stanisława Tyrkiel played a crucial role, writing chronicles for the PEA branch and Esperanto Club, which have become valuable documents illustrating the activities of Esperantists in Nowy Sącz. These chronicles were donated to the Regional Museum in Nowy Sącz. The information about the donation agreement between the Intercultural Education Center and the Regional Museum was also a significant part of the meeting.
The festive meeting at CEM dedicated to the creator of Esperanto concluded with the enjoyment of a traditional birthday cake.
Information about the activities of Esperantists related to the December celebrations of “Zamenhof Days” can be found on the Eventa Servo website (“event service”). This website collects and disseminates information about Esperanto events worldwide.
Eventa Servo was established in 2017 by the Brazilian Fernando Chayani, who hails from a small town with few Esperantists and infrequent Esperanto meetings. The idea was to create a service that would enable similar individuals to participate in Esperanto events. In April 2019, Chayani handed over the service to the Universal Esperanto Association (UEA), and since then, both UEA and TEJO recommend Eventa Servo as a platform for sharing information about global, national, and local Esperanto events such as congresses, meetings, courses, and others.
Translation by Admin
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