Cuban President Leads Traditional March of the Torches

Miguel Díaz-Canel Heads Annual Tribute to National Hero José Martí
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel today led the traditional March of the Torches in homage to National Hero José Martí, on the 173rd anniversary of his birth.

March from University of Havana to Historic Site
Together with the highest authorities of the Communist Party of Cuba and the Government, the head of state accompanied thousands of Cubans, mostly young people, in the nighttime march that departs from the steps of the University of Havana and proceeds to the Fragua Martiana.

Illuminated by hundreds of torches, the procession follows the route to the historic site where José Martí was imprisoned at the age of 16, in the former San Lázaro Quarry.

A Patriotic Tradition Since 1953
This patriotic tradition was first held at midnight on January 27, 1953, when the Centennial Generation, led by the young Fidel Castro, commemorated the centennial of the Apostle's birth in an act that preceded the assault on the Moncada Barracks.