The Cuban capital, Havana, is staging a military parade in honour of Fidel Castro but the ailing leader was not present at the start of events.
The parade, on a key date in the Cuban revolution, is part of delayed 80th birthday celebrations for Mr Castro.
President Castro underwent emergency intestinal surgery at the end of July and has not been seen in public since.
He could still appear as the parade continues, but his apparent absence is fuelling more doubts about his health.
Events are being led by the acting president, Raul Castro, Fidel's younger brother and the island's defence minister.
The parade began with Raul Castro riding on a jeep through Havana's main square after a 21-gun salute before he launched into a speech praising the Cuban revolution and attacking the United States.
"Long live Fidel! Long live a free Cuba!," he concluded in front of a crowd of thousands of Cubans.
It had been thought that President Castro might take the opportunity to make his first public appearance in four months on such a significant date.
Exactly 50 years ago to the day, Mr Castro made another comeback, returning to Cuba from exile in Mexico to launch a guerrilla war aided by Ernesto "Che" Guevara.
Three years later, their 9,000-strong force overthrew the regime of Fulgencio Batista.
Soviet-era tanks and missile launchers are on show in Havana's Revolution Square.
Soldiers have been marching past and at one point a replica of the Granma, the yacht that carried Fidel Castro back from exile, was pulled along the street.
Socialist future
Senior Cuban government figures say that speculation about the Cuban leader's health is ill-informed and spread by his enemies.
At a gala on Friday attended by several Latin American leaders, Cuban Vice-President Carlos Lage said Mr Castro's health was improving and that the country would remain socialist long into the future.
"When Fidel is no longer with us, his work his ideas and his example will be," Mr Lage said, adding: "Fidel is recovering. We will have him among us, he will keep leading and we will ask him to keep doing so for some years more."
If there is no appearance at all by President Castro, it will be a sign that it is unlikely he will be back holding the reins of power, correspondents say - a development that would be life-altering news for Cubans, most of whom know no other leader.
Birthday celebrations were initially scheduled when the Cuban leader turned 80 in August, but were moved to December after he became ill.
His last appearance on Cuban television, looking frail and wearing pyjamas rather than his trademark military fatigues, was more than a month ago.
Story from BBC NEWS
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