BAHIA HONDA, Cuba (AP) — Cubans paid tribute to Saint Barbara and the Santeria deity Chango on Wednesday with offerings of flowers, fruit, burning candles, drumming and animal sacrifices.

Chango is the orisha — spirit or deity in the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria — of lightning, fire and war, and is associated with Saint Barbara.

Believers hold ceremonies for "protection" from evil on Saint Barbara's feast day, which is held every Dec. 4 in Cuba.

Experts say as many as 80 percent of Cubans observe some kind of Santeria.