Cuban President Fidel Castro was absent Tuesday from May Day's celebration in Havana, which was instead presided by first Vice-President Raul Castro.

Castro had an operation nine months ago.

May Day activity, an event the Cuban leader had attended for decades without fail, began at 08:00 local time at Jose Marti Revolution Plaza.

The participants were dressed in red, blue and white pullovers - -the national flag colors -- and held flags of Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia and other Latin American countries.

In the hours before the march began, Fidel Castro reportedly issued the latest in a series of new communiques he has been writing in recent weeks.

Source: Xinhua