It’s now eight in the morning. But in the darkness at 5:30 a.m., with just a few people in the area in front of the capital’s Plaza de la Revolución, we walked along the edge of the barriers, looking for a way to get to 23rd Street and Paseo Avenue, recalling our childhood memories of this day, as people looked out from their windows onto the crowds below, there was music and one saw gigantic things. We were seeking to relive that. We wanted to see the parade from beyond the press platform where we have seen it before. But the roads were closed off to cars, and on foot, the hubbub of people made it impossible to walk much farther.

We remained where we were, amidst the crowds already gathered in the second bloc of the parade, between the pedagogy students and the group that recently represented Cuba at the 8th Summit of the Americas, in Peru.

It dawned at seven. Four Red Cross stretchers ran past us along the sidewalk with someone who had fainted. They took him to one of the ambulances, which were parked behind the seating on one side of the Plaza, in front of the image of Camilo and a huge screen. Many of those gathered passed by us four, five times. The young people in the second row started counting them. Some swarmed around and took photos with popular singer Adrián Berazaín, sporting the T-shirt which read #NoAlBloqueo (No to the blockade), worn by those who went to Peru.

Under the still faint yellow sunlight, the Plaza was beautiful: a path of flags leading up to the statue of Martí; a giant flag hanging from the Interior Ministry building, next to the iconic image of Che Guevara; on the National Library, a sepia banner with images of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Fidel after the Moncada trial, and Fidel and Camilo Cienfuegos the day the Caravan of Liberty arrived to Havana. Behind us, a banner on the National Theater read: “Unity, commitment and victory.” And further behind, beyond the bloc of thousands of teachers, the compact parade.

The renowned voice of Silvio Rodríguez rang out from the huge speakers. It had been preceded by a conga and the people danced. Now, some sat resting on the ground.

At 7:30 a.m., we sang the national anthem and the Secretary General of the Cuban Workers’ Federation, Ulises Guilarte, offered the traditional May Day speech. As the crowds began to move, we still had the hope of reaching 23rd Street and Paseo. We walked to Boyeros Avenue and then back along the edge of the barriers, trying to join the parade further back, but surrounded by so many people, we made little progress.

We came across Rakso Fernández, hand in hand with his little daughter. “This is a day of reaffirmation,” he said, “As a child, I used to come with my grandparents, and someday I’ll come with my grandchildren.”

We could hardly stop to talk. People flocked to the Plaza, with huge banners and smaller placards. “With Raúl and Díaz-Canel is the image of Fidel,” read one. “Freedom for Lula,” another.

Farther back, Lázaro Vega, an agricultural cooperative worker, marched alone; among the people, but alone. He wore his traditional Yarey hat, and held a Cuban flag in his left hand. At 60 years old, he recalled the first time he came to the Plaza to celebrate May Day.

“I was just a child, my primary school teachers brought me, with all the little boys and girls in my class. Since then I have come every year,” he told us, and continued on his way. We continued to push back, among the crowds.

A few meters from Zapata Street, we realized we couldn’t advance any farther. We walked over to the sidewalk to try and head back to the Plaza faster, but a security cordon, formed mostly by students, prevented us from leaving the route.

One of them, Law student Isabel Lucía, told us that they had been there since very early, ensuring the organization of the march and preventing any problems. She has been carrying out this task every May Day for the past four years, and noted that, as usual, it was an occasion for celebration.

Then, as it struck eight o’clock, we came across the metallic sound of a frying pan being struck. The conga rhythms weren’t coming from the speakers, but from the trumpet of a boy with braids, a drum played by another dressed in blue and with his cap to the side; and another using two sticks as claves, beating some cans. We danced in formation: with the tip of the foot, passing to the left, moving to the right, one step forward. Those singing addressed those who followed them: “Join my conga line,” they cried, and we went along with them, chanting: “My conga to the Plaza with Fidel.”

(Granma)

In Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución, the central event was presided by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC); Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, President of te Councils of State and Ministers, and other leaders.

Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento, secretary general of the Federation of Cuban Workers, delivered the central remarks, emphasizing that amidst the complicated economic situation, the contribution of workers is more important than ever.

Leading the celebration in Santiago de Cuba was Esteban Lazo Hernández, Political Bureau member and President of the National Assembly of People’s Power, while in San José de las Lajas, site of the main commemoration in Mayabeque province, the march was led by Salvador Valdés Mesa, Cuba’s First Vice President.

(Granma)

Fidel was everywhere this May 1. He was present in the faces of joyful children who didn’t want to be left out and came to march with their parents; he was there in the strong soldier wearing his medals proudly parading, in the decorated Hero of Labor, or the humble campesino holding a photo of the Comandante.

Fidel was also present in the thousands of Cuban women who expressed their gratitude for his efforts to ensure that they occupied their rightful place in society; in the scientists who recalled Fidel’s contributions to the field; in the educators who noted how, through his efforts and one of the most humane works of the Cuban Revolution, millions learned to read and write and in so doing became truly free.

Fidel was there, together with the heroic guerilla Che Guevara, who from his resting place in Santa Clara, continues to wage and win more battles than ever, just like the Comandante en Jefe stated that October day in 1997, when he returned to the city to be reunited with his friend.

Second Party Secretary José R. Machado Ventura, led the May day parade in Pinar del Río. Photo: CAN
Fidel continues to be the hope of a people, exemplified by the young person with an image of the Comandante wielding his rifle: he is the dream of Latin American redemption, as a Uruguayan trade union leader at the Plaza del Che put it.

May 1 was a day of celebration for the Cuban people, who know that the hero of Moncada, of the Granma expedition, the Sierra Maestra, and so many other historic feats, is not only present in Santiago de Cuba, but wherever there is a just cause to defend, a danger that threatens the homeland, an injustice to right or a solidarity mission to undertake.

Camagüey’s people marched with the spirit of Agramonte and the combativity of Camilo. Photo: Periódico Adelante
Camilo and Agramonete’s Calvary in Camagüey

Camagüey.– For a while now, old Armando has been among the first to arrive at the plaza to celebrate International Workers Day.

This has been his mission ever since he attended the first May Day parade in the province, 59 years ago, following the triumph of the Revolution and presided by none other than the legendary Comandante Camilo Cienfuegos.

On that day, Armando accompanied his parents on the massive, multitudinous march which passed through the city’s main avenues before arriving at Casino Campestre Park, where 50,000 people gathered to listen to a reading of Señor de la Vanguardia (a book which includes anecdotes about Cuban hero Camilo Cienfuegos).

The Revolution had triumphed just four months before and standing only a few meters from one of its main and most charismatic leaders, the 17-year-old was overcome with excitement.

The rebel leader’s character impacted Armando just as much as his words: “We must use all our time to unite, to support the Revolution, support the revolutionary measures being issued by our government every day…”

Since then, the night before, on the eve of every May 1, Armando sets his pocket watch, the same one he has always carried since he began working on the railroad, to await dawn close to the plaza, and be among the first in line to march.

Later, as if by the work and grace of an iron will, the old man’s aches and pains disappear while he waits to see “live and direct” the rest of the colorful blocs and greet friends as the parade passes through the plaza.

Armando’s friends include Remigio, an experienced campesino who works at a livestock cooperative and every year has the gratifying task, together with other agricultural workers, of closing the parade on horseback, in a bloc resembling the famous cavalry of War of Independence hero Major General Ignacio Agramonte.

President of the National Assembly, Esteban Lazo, marched with the people of Santiago de Cuba. Photo: Eduardo Palomares
Maceo calls, Santiago answers

Santiago de Cuba.– As the sun set along the Sierra Maestra, the outstanding General Antonio Maceo Grajales, seated atop his bronze steed, summoned the parade of over 350,000 Santiago residents to celebrate May Day in the Heroic City.

He did so with the right won by those brave compatriots who, over 150 years of struggle to achieve the island’s full freedom and sovereignty, secured this important date for Cuban workers and the general population, the worthy masters of the past, present, and future of the country.

This is a reality the empire, imbued with the impotence and fury of the anti-Cuban mafia in Miami, has never been able to accept. The empire that refuses to acknowledge the Cuban people who descended on the plaza from the early hours of May 1, to show their support, marching along the wide avenue, for the flags, songs, and images of Martí, Fidel and Raúl, whose work is now in the capable hands of Díaz-Canel.

More than marching, the people of Santiago danced and jumped as the two-hour parade made its way through the Antonio Maceo Plaza de la Revolución, filled, so it seemed, with the same spirit that is going into the over 200 social works underway in the lead-up to the 65th anniversary of the Moncada attack and to improve the quality of life of residents.

That’s how Santaigo de Cuba turned the spontaneous into a historic day, marked by expressions of support for the generational transition, commitment to the continuation of the socialist Revolution, and the legacy and example of Fidel and Raúl during the toughest battles.

The President of the National Assembly of Peoples’ Power Esteban Lazo Hernández, stated that, today is a special day because of the deep joy we feel and the message that unity will always lead to victory.

Reasons abound to celebrate May Day in Matanzas

Matanzas.– A radiant dawn broke over the province this past Tuesday. The wonder of the day could be felt in the magical allure of the peaceful bay. It was a beautiful morning this May 1, International Workers’ Day.

As the sun began to rise, with still an hour to go before the start of the parade, the streets were all ready full of people, and just like in other territories, many residents of the provincial capital were already up and awake.

A small, slightly bent, grey-haired old woman stands in her doorway of her home to watch the people as they march. According to the lady she was awoken at around 6am by a commotion in the street close to her house, as different trade unions and residents made their way toward the main platform, located along the bridge.

“Come in compañeros, you are welcome. There’s plenty of coffee,” she kindly and casually states to us, two reporters, in that oh so Cuban way.

“I never used to miss a May Day parade, but my legs aren’t what they used to be,” she mutters as she approaches with a jug of coffee.

By now you could hear the joyful voices of the people, and in the distance, as we make our way toward the crowd, we realize just how many people there are, all with joyful expressions, holding photographs, posters, and banners. Some 300,000 people throughout the province were expected to attend the march, according to Isdalis Rodríguez Rodríguez, secretary general of the Cuban Workers’ Federation (CTC) in Matanzas.

Just like everywhere else on the island, Cubans came out this May 1, to express their support for our socialism and its formidable work, as well as the Cuban Revolution, the very same that was launched 150 years ago.

This year May Day is being celebrated amidst a hive of activity as the city prepares to commemorate its 325th anniversary, this coming October 12 – yet another reason to celebrate on this International Workers Day.

(Granma)