Liberation Day (Cuba)

Liberation Day, also known as Triumph of the Revolution, is a public holiday in Cuba, and it is observed on January 1 each year. The holiday commemorates the anniversary of the victory of the revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1959.

Cuba is a country located in the northern Caribbean Sea. Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492, and he claimed the islands for Spain. Spain colonized the islands in the following 400 years until 1898 when Cuba became the protectorate of the United States.

Cuba achieved formal independence from the United States in 1902. Fulgencio Batista was elected president in 1940 and held the post until 1944. In 1952, he staged a coup and seized power again.

In the 1950s, the economy in Cuba became problematic with a high unemployment rate and corruption. People started to against Batista's government. In 1956, 82 Cuban revolutionaries including Fidel Castro and Che Guevara landed in Cuba, but only 19 of them escaped. They started a guerrilla war against Batista's regime in the Sierra Maestra mountains.

After the success in the rural areas, the rebel forces began to win battles in cities with supports from the population. In December 1958, Che Guevara's forces captured Santa Clara, and Batista fled on January 1, 1959.

On January 2, 1959, Che Guevara's troops arrive in Havana. Fidel Castro arrived on January 8 and quickly controlled the resistance forces. Fidel Castro became the Prime Minister of Cuba and established the present government in Cuba.

The following is the list of Liberation Day in Cuba from 2022 to 2026.

Please check more public holidays in Cuba: