Cuban Christmas Transformations
The significance of Christmas in Cuba has undergone significant shifts in its political context. Before Fidel Castro's ascension to power in 1959, Christmas was celebrated in the United States and many other countries. However, in 1969, Fidel Castro imposed a complete ban on all Christmas festivities in his nation.
The rationale behind this Christmas prohibition was to ensure a larger sugar harvest by keeping people in the sugar cane fields. Given the atheistic nature of Cuba's government, Christmas was also ideologically at odds. Nonetheless, Fidel Castro made a surprising declaration in 1997, announcing that Cuba would officially celebrate Christmas that year.
