Fidel Castro turns 81 today but few public celebrations are expected as the Cuban leader continues his slow recovery from surgery.
Few people in Cuba expect any of the glitzy spectacles of the past, or even fresh news about President Castro's condition or his political future.
No official celebrations have been planned and only a few social and political groups have announced festivities.
It is widely known that Fidel Castro has been sidelined since his July 2006 intestinal surgery.
President Castro has not been seen in public since undergoing the operation, though he has appeared in photographs and eight videos taken during his recovery.
Lately, Mr Castro has been communicating with the public via articles attributed to him, 37 to date since late March, printed in official newspapers.
On 31 July, Mr Castro relented somewhat to persistent questions about his plans for the future, saying that his 76-year-old brother Raul was making 'every important decision...after consulting with me.'
