HAVANA – A sea of people considering Fidel Castro's significance in their lives gathered Tuesday night in Havana.
"It's a way to show our gratitude to him," Grethel Barrera said.
Barrera credits Castro for allowing him to become an attorney.
"My accomplishments are because of him," Barrera said.
The next generation made up much of the crowd.
They watched the revolution's old guard - Castro's contemporaries - host world leaders onstage.
"We are in charge of making sure the revolution is prosperous and to keep it moving forward and to continue Fidel's wishes," Leandro Santos, 18, said.
Those who revere Catro's legacy are clear that there are those who do not.
"The American Cuban society in exile is celebrating. If they want to celebrate, I would tell them we feel hurt," Neyda Nunez Vazquez said.
Norma Ferguson said Cubans are defending a government they love.
"We know we love it and we're defending it," she said. "What we’ve defended through all these years since the triumph of the revolution."