This man is crawling six miles
to the Church of San Lazaro.
And he's not the only one.
in fact, so many people are doing it
that bystanders barely seem to notice anymore.
The church is 10 miles outside of Havana
and on the 17th of December
Cubans make the pilgrimage for the Saint's Day Festival.
They've closed the road to private cars
but there are other ways to get there
and demonstrate your faith.
Sack cloth, for example.
San Lázaro was dirt poor -
it shows you sympathize.
If you really want the saint's attention,
drag a stone.
or two.
The heavier the better.
This is Miguel's sixth and last pilgrimage
and he's ready to celebrate
though he's only halfway there.
if you think this shows dedication...
Though I'm just as impressed by his support staff.
She's been singing him onward for the past 17 hours
and she doesn't even know him all that well.
Despite the fact that she's Catholic
she's calling Kubayende,
the African Santeria incarnation of San Lazaro.
But the most difficult penance of all
is neither rock, nor roll.
It's a three-year-old child.
They've been underway for 13 hours
and the little boy is overtired.
Daddy is not allowed to stand.
Are they really going to make it?
Not everyone is that committed
These guys secretly started 100 meters from the church
and are milking it for all it's worth.
They refuse water...
So who, exactly, is San Lazaro?
There are actually three versions:
You'll find the mainstream Catholic saint up on the altar
dressed in his Sunday best.
Then there's the pauper
covered with sores
and all alone but for his faithful hounds.
He's the Cuban favorite
the underdog.
Out behind the church is the African Santeria version:
Kubayende.
In Cuba, San Lazaro is known for three things:
his poverty,
his love of dogs,
and for his ability to perform miraculous cures.
Castro once tried,
unsuccessfully,
to eradicate religion in Cuba.
He even cancelled Christmas in 1969.
If you can't afford a cash contribution
a nearby fountain is supposed to have healing powers.
Th Cubans may be devoted Catholics
but they're equally dedicated entrepreneurs.
The streets leading to the church are lined with other ways to spend those hard-earned pesos.
There are few things Cubans find harder to resist
than a slow roasted pig.
Even the garbage is just another opportunity.
In Cuba, very little goes to waste.
This festival is as much about the Cuban character
as it is about the Catholic faith.
Carrying on against all odds,
always there to support each other,
and enjoying themselves along the way.