From the sanctuary and dressed in purple, the head of the US Embassy, Mike Hammer, calls for the freedom of Cubans.
14ymedio, Dario Hernandez, Havana, December 17 2025 — As they have done every year since 2001, residents of the La Jata neighborhood in Guanabacoa celebrated Saint Lazarus early on the eve of his feast day. On Tuesday afternoon, neighbors gathered in the streets and walked, tapping their hands, until they reached the home of the legendary Enriquito, a renowned babalao (priest) who founded the Cuban Association of the Sons of Saint Lazarus in 1957 and led this tradition until his health failed him in 2016, shortly before his death.
A few hours later, at dawn on Wednesday, people of all ages began arriving at the El Rincón sanctuary. Some residents told 14ymedio that in previous years the pilgrimage was much larger. Despite the lack of public transportation, people were able to travel in shared taxis from Fraternity Park to the Cupet gas station in Santiago de las Vegas, from where a five-kilometer procession with hundreds of pilgrims began. Some of the faithful walked barefoot, and many others on their knees.
As always, and despite the deep crisis gripping the country, the road was lined with vendors selling religious images, flowers, and candles. Candle prices varied depending on size, ranging from 100 to 200 pesos, while flowers started at 500 pesos. As in previous years, the police presence was noticeable, with at least one officer on every corner. People were also seen drinking alcohol.
Thousands of Cubans flocked to the National Shrine of Saint Lazarus in El Rincón this Wednesday / 14ymedio
Once at the sanctuary, the Mass officiated by the Archbishop of Havana, Juan de la Caridad García, was considerably delayed. Every five minutes, people crawled in, mainly women, most of them barefoot mothers accompanied by dogs. Lighting candles was not permitted until the Mass had concluded.
“Every devotee of Saint Lazarus knows that promises must be kept,” Osmara told this newspaper, while, dressed in purple, she begged for coins from everyone who passed by.
After the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, El Rincón is the second most important pilgrimage site in Cuba. Its church is dedicated to Saint Lazarus, a Catholic figure syncretized with Babalú Ayé, an orisha of the Yoruba pantheon to whom the healing of illnesses, particularly skin diseases, is attributed. This devotion has developed over time within Cuban popular religiosity.
The temple was founded over a spring of water considered to have healing properties. Even today, many worshippers bathe in this water or take away small blessed bottles as part of their vows. A few meters away is the former Royal Hospital of San Lázaro, which began as a leper colony and still functions today as a hospital specializing in dermatology.
The celebration of Saint Lazarus is undoubtedly part of Cuba’s deepest cultural and spiritual fabric, where Catholicism, Afro-Cuban religious practices, and expressions of popular faith coexist. For this reason, the head of mission of the United States Embassy, Mike Hammer, was present, never missing an opportunity to connect with Cubans on the street and share videos expressing his support for freedom: “On this significant day, I wanted to reiterate my call for freedom and respect for the fundamental rights of all Cubans.”
Beyond the island, among the diaspora, the tradition has also taken root. On the other side of the Gulf, in Hialeah, the large Cuban community has built its own shrine inspired by El Rincón. Every December, hundreds of emigrants flock there to give thanks for favors received and fulfill promises to the saint, replicating a tradition that, even far from Cuba, continues to define Cuban faith and identity.
In Miami, 66-year-old Lourdes sent candles and purple clothing in advance so her family, who live in San Miguel del Padrón, could make the pilgrimage to El Rincón. The migrant, who has been in the United States for three years, having arrived across the border, asked her relatives to pray for her before the image of Saint Lazarus. Her plea to the saint was brief and direct: “that they don’t deport me and that they finally grant me residency.”
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