Festoj kaj la kalendaro: Zamenhofa Tago and the feast names

The Esperanto year has two dates of its own: 15 December, Zamenhof's birthday, and 26 July, when the first textbook was cleared for sale in 1887. Around them sit the ordinary feasts, whose names you build from parts, and the wishes, which all end in -n.

• Ĝojan feston! - Have a happy festival!

Zamenhofa Tago: 15 December

Zamenhof was born on 15 December 1859, and his birthday is the one date the whole movement keeps, with club meetings, talks and readings. The custom dates from the 1920s; the writers Julio Baghy and Nikolao Nekrasov were among those who proposed it.

• La klubo kunvenas la 15-an de decembro. - The club meets on 15 December.

The -n on the date means on, so no preposition is needed. Time expressions has the rule.

One footnote: the Russian Empire still used the Julian calendar, so the records of his birth read 3 December. The 15th is the Gregorian date.

A book as a present

The day is also called la Tago de la Esperanto-libro, the Day of the Esperanto Book. People exchange presents, preferably books written in Esperanto, and the reason is practical: the date falls ten days before Christmas. It is a custom, not a rule.

123

1. 1mi
2. 2libron
3. 3al vi

Mi donas libron al vi: I give you a book. Mi (I) gives, libron (a book) is the thing given, al vi (to you) receives it.

• Mi donas al vi libron. - I am giving you a book.

Esperanto Day: 26 July, or 2 June

The first textbook, the Unua Libro, passed the Russian censor twice in 1887: once to be printed, once to be distributed.

The UEA keeps 26 July (14 July by the Julian calendar). The Esperanta Civito, a separate Esperanto organisation, keeps 2 June, which it calls the only certain date.

• La libro aperis en julio 1887. - The book came out in July 1887.

The history of Esperanto tells the story of the book, and la kongreso covers the summer congress.

Naming the feasts

Most feast names are compounds. The last root says what the thing is; the first says which one. Take them apart and they read themselves.

• Ni vojaĝos hejmen por Kristnasko. - We will travel home for Christmas.

Capitals

Feast names take a capital, like other names; weekdays do not. Months are the disputed case: the Fundamento writes Januaro, and PMEG recommends the capital, but lower-case januaro is very common, and it is what this site writes.

• Pasko estas en aprilo ĉi-jare. - Easter is in April this year.

PMEG adds that no capitalisation rule in Esperanto is binding: these are conventions. Capital letters has the whole picture.