Cubans are celebrating their first official Christmas since the government abolished the holiday thirty years ago.

People crowded markets to buy the traditional Christmas Eve meal of pork, rice, black beans, cassava and green salad, often spending much of their monthly wages.

Cuba's Roman Catholic Church has urged people to try to rediscover the religious meaning of Christmas.

The holiday's importance has faded since the atheist government cancelled it -- ostensibly to concentrate on the sugar harvest.

The Archbishop of Havana, Cardinal Jaime Ortega, has been given permission to broadcast a radio message on Christmas Day.