50 years of revolution celebrated
Cuba celebrated the 50th anniversary of revolution without the ailing Fidel Castro.
Although Castro continued convalescing in private, the festivities were filled with nostalgia and praise of the bearded rebel leader known as the "Leader of the Revolution."
His brother, President Raul Castro, predicted the revolution would survive another 50 years, "that will also be of permanent struggle".
The celebrations, which are low-key because of economic difficulties, include dances and concerts across the island.
Many hope for improved relations with the United States when President-elect Barack Obama takes office on January 20 following declarations he would talk directly with Raul Castro and lift severe restrictions on family travel and remittances to the island.
Raul Castro, who succeeded his older brother in February, quoted extensively from his brother as he spoke from below the same balcony where Fidel declared victory over dictator Fulgencio Batista's government on January 1, 1959.
He pointedly quoted from a speech his brother made at Havana University a few years before he got sick, warning "this revolution can destroy itself" and that if it occurred, "it would be our own fault".
No foreign leaders were at the speech on a small, leafy plaza, with little fanfare beyond invitations to 3,000 Communist Party faithful.