Castro's Birthday: A Joy for Some; A Duty for Others

Dec. 2, 2006 — -- Amid the images of Cubans celebrating the birthday of President Fidel Castro, keep in mind that many of those cheerful faces were not so cheerful a few hours before.

Many have nothing in their stomach. Others will have eaten only a dusty mix of cereal and powdered milk known as Cerelac, or some sugar water. Many had to wake up at four in the morning and walk several miles.

Some feel a genuine joy at the event and hope for a place of honor near the podium.

I have lived in the United States for six years. My first 26 were spent in Cuba. I still go to the island often to visit my family.

I remember many of the celebrations that are a "revolutionary duty" for a Cuban citizen. But we never celebrated Fidel's birthday.

Most Cubans when I was growing up knew little about Castro's personal life. I learned his birthday was Aug. 13 in the mid 1990's when a Cuban newspaper mentioned it. Today's celebration is not his actual birthday.

Castro believes Cubans should honor the revolution, but not its leader.

"My personal life does not belong to the international opinion; it belongs to me," Castro once told ABC News' Barbara Walters.

In that, Castro differed from other revolutionary leaders -- including Mao and Stalin -- who encouraged a cult of personality around themselves.

Not that Castro is shy. His face appears everywhere in Cuba -- on the streets, in the houses and in government offices. But the details of his personal life, including his birthday, were not a subject of national celebration until a few years ago.

The public celebrations I remember were May 1 -- International Workers Day -- when we gathered at Revolution Square waving pocket-sized Cuban and Soviet flags; or July 26 -- the anniversary of the attacks to the Moncada barracks, which marked the beginning of the guerrilla fighting that six years later threw Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista out of power. These were some of the opportunities we had to see Fidel in person, looking back at us from the podium through black military binoculars.