Religion
I think a person could say that Cuba is predominately a Catholic country, or could say that there is great religious variety in Cuba. Both would be true. Catholicism was imposed on the populace during colonialism and it remains. One of my favorite sights was inside a church on Christmas day, near where I was going for a drum class. Behind the altar was a giant cross, a baby Jesus, Mary and a star. All were outlined in neon lights of various colors, which went on and off, the star’s lights in a pattern to resemble fire works. I’d never seen anything like it. In another church I saw a nativity scene the size of a room, laid out like a toy train set, with landscaping, figures for each scene leading up to Christmas, etc.
What is also true is that Cubans maintained African religions of Ifa/Santeria and Voodoo throughout slavery and since. To do so, they syncrotized their gods with the Catholic saints and their celebrations with those of Catholicism and that continues today. Before being initiated into Santeria, one must be baptized into the Catholic Church, for instance. Some priests practice both. At some sites, there are altars/statutes next to each other from each tradition. The result appears to be a total lack of religious conflict, hate crimes, etc which is so much a part of American public and political life. Public cultural celebrations incorporate whatever religions are practiced in that region (Voodoo is more in the east, where the Haitians settled). As someone who is rather ecumenical and comfortable with various religious practices, I was very comfortable in Cuba.
I was also struck by how devout people are, no matter what their practice. I would say that Cuba is a very religious country. This might sound ironic, given that it is a communist country. But religious traditions are very ingrained in the culture and this adds a layer of connection between people, in my observation. I inquired about the early years of the revolution and was told that religion was not encouraged and that party members who wanted to move up hid their religious affiliation. It did not sound, however, like people were persecuted, jailed, etc. At this time in Cuba, religious practice appears unencumbered. It is not commercialized like here, however, which makes it less noticeable. Christmas was not a big commercial deal, because nothing is a big commercial deal there.
