By Jane Feehan
Independence Day, traditionally celebrated in the United
States since the early days of the republic and officially since 1870, held
significance for Cubans for decades.
Many Cubans joined in our celebration in a gesture of good will to commemorate their
independence from Spain with the Spanish-American War of 1898. After the four-month conflict, Spain ceded Cuba to the U.S. along with Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines in accord with the 1898 Treaty of Paris. Cuba
declared itself a sovereign nation May 20, 1902.
As early as 1901, U.S. newspapers reported Santiago Cubans were “celebrating the Fourth with a fervor and faith all their own … with an American
flavor.” July 4th was declared an official Cuban holiday July 2,
1918. This “fiesta” day declaration was followed by official celebratory events
that continued until shortly after Fidel Castro took power.
On hand for Fourth of July festivities in Key West in 1938 were
“military units” from Cuba marching with United States military; both groups
were also there to commemorate the long-awaited completion of the Overseas
Highway.
Cuban military parades, with thousands of onlookers lining the
streets, were held on the Fourth of July in Santiago in the country’s southeastern region. The
parade route took participants by a memorial to the 260 U.S citizens who
died in the explosion of the USS Maine, the catalyst for the
Spanish-American War.
The last official celebration of the Fourth of July in Cuba was
probably in 1959, hosted by American Ambassador to Cuba, Phillip Bonsal
(1903-1995) and his wife, Margaret. “Cubans took time out from the Castro
Revolution, which began July 26, 1953 to help celebrate …” reported a Miami newspaper.
Small Cuban flags adorned the buffet tables, while large American and Cuban
flags on embassy walls greeted both U.S. and Cuban dignitaries. Bonsal was the
last U.S. ambassador to that country.
A few still hold Fourth of July celebrations in Cuba in
defiance of their government. But the official Cuban day of independence is
October 10. This was the day wealthy sugar mill owner Carlos Manuel de Cespedes
and followers declared independence from Spain in 1868.
Sources:
The Missoulian, July 6, 1901
New York Times, July 2, 1918
Tampa Tribune, July 5, 1938
Fort Lauderdale News, July 4, 1949
Miami News, July 5, 1959
Tags: Fourth of July in Cuba, Independence
Day, Ambassador Phillip Bonsal
