In Once-Atheist Cuba, a Quiet Holy Day
Cuban Habits Still Reflect Former President Fidel Castro’s Nearly Three-Decade Ban on Christmas, With Any Celebrations Subdued
Dec. 25, 2014 10:54 p.m. ET
HAVANA—Sitting down for Christmas Eve dinner with his family, retiree Tomás Hernández looked forward to a plate of rice and beans, fried plantains, yucca and a bit of stewed pork.
“Basically, it’s what we eat every day. We don’t have anything else,” said Mr. Hernández, who decades earlier fought with the Cuban military in Angola and now struggles to get by on a pension of about $10 a month.
Unlike the rest of Catholic-dominated Latin America, where work effectively stops this time of the year, Christmas is a rather subdued celebration here on this economically crippled communist island. Families typically gather for quiet dinners at home. There is little public display of the holiday, which is heavily commercialized in the rest of the region.
Indeed, former President Fidel Castro erased Christmas from the calendar in 1969, saying the festivities interfered with the vital sugar harvest. It was reinstated in 1998 after a historic visit by Pope John Paul II. Today, it is officially a holiday with most offices and business closed.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/in-once-atheist-cuba-a-quiet-holy-day-1419566090
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