Esperanto culture

Esperanto is often used to access an international culture. There are thousands of books in Esperanto (originals and translations) as well as over a hundred regularly distributed Esperanto magazines. Many Esperanto speakers use the language for free travel throughout the world using the Pasporta Servo. Others like the idea of having pen pals in many countries around the world using services like the Esperanto Pen Pal Service.

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Every year, hundreds of new titles are published in Esperanto along with music and even films. Also, many Esperanto newspapers and magazines and radio stations broadcast in Esperanto. In 2001, the Universal Esperanto Association (Universala Esperanto-Asocio) had members in 119 countries of the world. Every year, 1500-3000 Esperanto speakers meet for the World Congress of Esperanto (Universala Kongreso).

Esperanto culture has a special word, krokodili (from the word meaning crocodile, coming from the fact that crocodiles have a small brain and a big mouth), to describe what is considered the inappropriate use of national languages at Esperanto meetings. "Crocodiling" is considered rude because it excludes people from a conversation when they all could be speaking Esperanto instead.

On December 15 (L. L. Zamenhof's birthday), Esperanto speakers around the world celebrate Zamenhof Day.

The poem La Espero is generally considered to be the Esperanto anthem. It speaks of the achievement of world peace, "sacred harmony" and "eternal blessing" on the basis of a neutral language. Nonetheless Esperantists may or may not agree whether the stated benefits could in fact be achieved in this way. At the first Esperanto congress, in Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1905, a declaration was made which defined an Esperantist merely as one who knows and uses the language "regardless of what kind of aims he uses it for", and which also specifically declared any ideal beyond the spread of the language itself to be a private matter for the individual speaker.