Christ is Born, Hope Endures, & Faith Prevails
Before the 1959 ban on celebrating Christmas, Christmas in Cuba was a season filled with joy and celebration, much like in the U.S., blending the holiday’s deep religious meaning with commercialism. The Catholic church and other denominations celebrated the birth of Christ with evening services, lights, trees, nativity scenes, music, and festivities in the many churches across the island.
Meanwhile, the streets buzzed, and stores echoed with laughter and excitement. Shoppers filled their baskets with turrones (nougats), cider, hazelnuts, and walnuts from Spain. Families gathered around Christmas trees, lights twinkled throughout towns, and men dressed as Santa to delight the youngest of believers.
Remembering Christmas’s Past
Quentin, now 80 years old and a lifelong resident of Puerto Esperanza, recalls Christmas celebrations before the ban:
“On Christmas Eve, our family gathered around a large table filled with homemade sweets — empanadas, fritters, nougat, coconut candy, orange candy, milk flan — and, of course, the traditional Christmas Eve dinner of congris, roasted pork, yuca with mojo, and wine to toast the family’s union. If money allowed, I would receive a small gift.”
In the town of Puerto Esperanza, he remembers the lively town festivities that included a fair and market, bustling with people selling everything needed for the Christmas meal. The cinema played festive movies, and the night always ended with dancing and fireworks.
Pastor Toñito, born in 1948, lives in the eastern part of Cuba with his wife Ana Chaparra. He remembers those early Christmas services fondly. Families attended church on December 24 for quiet, reflective worship filled with song and prayer. Later, they shared a festive dinner of roasted pork laid out on palm leaves, Oriental Congri, mixed salads, soft yuca, plantains, and cassava cakes.
Stores overflowed with an abundant selection of sweets — guava bars, coconut nougat, peanut nougat, walnuts, hazelnuts, apples, pears, bananas, melon, coconuts, mangoes, and pineapples. After dinner, families visited one another, guitars, cowbells, claves, maracas, and bongos filled the night with music, and everyone danced under the stars.
One of Cuba’s most cherished traditions was El Día de los Reyes (Three Kings’ Day) on January 6.
As Pastor Toñito recalls:
“We left fresh cans of water for the camels in front of our beds before going to sleep and wrote notes with the gifts we wanted the Three Wise Men (Melchior, Gastar, and Baltazar) to leave us as they passed by. In the morning, we would check with tremendous joy.
If gifts appeared next to our flip-flops, my dad and mom would beam with happiness. They would pray and thank God for sending gifts for the children with the Three Wise Men. My parents were very poor, and when they couldn’t afford gifts, they would explain with heavy hearts that the Three Kings had passed by without reaching our home.”
Even when resources were scarce, the magic of the season lived on in faith and love.
The Ban on Christmas
After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Christmas celebrations were banned. Public festivities disappeared, decorations vanished, and Christmas celebrations changed.
Yet, faith did not fade. Many Christians continued to celebrate in secret, gathering quietly in house churches to honor the birth of Jesus. Their celebrations were humble but deeply meaningful — a reminder that even under restriction, the light of faith could not be extinguished. Then, in 1997, Pope John Paul II announced he would visit Cuba the following year. As a goodwill gesture before his visit, Fidel Castro lifted the ban, and Christmas was officially reinstated as a public holiday in 1998.
Christmas in Cuba Today
While there are no official restrictions on celebrating Christmas, the traditions have quietened greatly. In the countryside, few lights decorate the night, and Christmas trees are rare. Economic hardship has limited access to both decorations and food.
Still, the heart of Christmas remains alive. Evangelical churches across the island honor the birth of Christ by holding Christmas skits, singing carols, and sharing food with those in need. The celebrations are simple yet deeply Christ-centered. The Catholic church still exists today, but like the evangelical churches, its activities are monitored closely by the government.
“Our Christmases as Cubans have always been simple, since we have always had economic challenges, and very few today enjoy a good meal at Christmas. But as a congregation, we gather for plays and dances to remember our Savior. We share testimonies of God’s goodness, and as a family, we make a meal with whatever God provides. Being together is the most important thing.”
– Yanaisy
A Celebration of Faith
Though poverty continues to shape the way Cubans celebrate Christmas, the joy of the season endures. In small house churches, families and friends gather with gratitude, not for what they have, but for who they have. The church focuses on the religious significance of Christ’s birth and shares its resources, despite economic hardship. The holiday has also changed over the last few years, as so many young adults have left the country, separating families at a time that should be joyful and spent together.
Christmas in Cuba has transformed over time, becoming humble meals shared together and heartfelt worship. Yet through it all, the message remains the same: Christ is born, hope endures, and faith prevails.