Feliĉa Zamenhofa Tago! : Happy Zamenhof Day!
from /r/vexillology Top comment: ["La Espero"](https://youtu.be/SnGzdh7tV9w) The flag of Esperanto is one with a simple but heavily relevant meaning: the hope of the five continents united in common understanding and peace. Worth mentioning is that the flag is made with the same five-continent model as the Olympic flag, so the Americas are thought of as one continent, and Antarctica isn't considered due to its small size and lack of people. Also worth mentioning is that the name "Esperanto" literally means "one who hopes", so the color choice also ties into the name. Interestingly, the origin of Esperanto's iconic symbols was really up to coincidence and arbitration. Zamenhof wrote in 1911: > *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. 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.* What would soon evolve into the Esperanto flag came in 1893: a lapel pin by C. Rjabinis and P. Deullin, consisting of a green star atop a white circle. This would later inspire the flag of the local Esperantist club of Boulogne-sur-Mer, which would become the official international flag of the Esperanto movement in the first World Esperanto Congress in 1905, held in the city. The club considered incorporating the French tricolor into its flag, but this was rejected due to not being international in character. Considering how many flags were inspired by the French Tricolor, I'm not sure how much I agree with that, but at least aesthetically they made the right choice by having a solid green field. Zamenhof himself was [a very interesting and good man](https://youtu.be/ZJWVOkdWQAs), and I have a lot of respect for him and his life's work. I might not be an Esperantist myself, but I can still easily get behind the ideals expressed in the movement's flag. It could easily serve as a world flag, really. It's very well-designed, distinctive, symbolic, and historical.
