"It doesn't matter how many times I go to Cuba": The emotional reunion with his mother on the island that everyone is talking about

A Cuban in the U.S. shared on TikTok his reunion with his mother in Cuba on Mother's Day, with a message that touched thousands.



Reunion in CubaPhoto © @eldito1997 / TikTok

A Cuban living in the United States shared a video on TikTok that encapsulates in 35 seconds what millions of Cuban migrants know all too well: the embrace of a mother who always waits, regardless of how many times the reunion has occurred.

The user @eldito1997, identified with the American flag on their profile, posted an emotional moment on Monday along with a description that became the heart of the message: "No matter how many times I go, she always welcomes me like this, I love you, mom."

The post coincided with Mother's Day in Cuba, celebrated on the second Sunday of May, which amplified its emotional resonance on a day when multiple similar videos circulated simultaneously on social media.

What distinguishes this video from most viral Cuban reunions is precisely its implicit message: it is not about a return after years of separation, but rather about frequent visits where the mother's welcome is always equally warm.

This detail connects to a reality that many Cuban émigrés in the U.S. experience: the active maintenance of ties with their families on the island through regular visits, something that is not legally prohibited for Cuban permanent residents in that country.

The video showcases an unmistakable Cuban setting: tropical vegetation, low buildings with tile roofs, electric poles with wires, and a Chinese-made car parked on the grass.

The phenomenon of viral family reunions on TikTok has become a genre in its own right within Cuban social media content during 2025 and 2026, driven by the massive exodus between 2021 and 2024 that led approximately 1.79 million Cubans to leave the island.

Only in the days leading up to the release of Eldito, other similar videos moved thousands of users. Last Wednesday, a Cuban residing in Uruguay arrived home in Cuba shouting "Mom!" and the video surpassed 407,100 views.

On that same Monday, Mother's Day, Ray Obón Séne surprised his mother after four years of separation, and the day before, another viral video showed a reunion where the grandfather "was in shock for 30 minutes, he couldn't speak".

On April 27, a Cuban who returned to the island and embraced her mother in the Los Pinos neighborhood, in Arroyo Naranjo, Havana, experienced another moment that went viral when they both fell to the ground crying.

The comments on these videos reflect the emotional weight carried by each reunion. "Thank you, God, for allowing those hugs... Only those families who have had to separate know what it feels like," wrote a user under one of the most viewed videos of the week.

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Yare Grau

Originally from Cuba, but living in Spain. I studied Social Communication at the University of Havana and later graduated in Audiovisual Communication from the University of Valencia. I am currently part of the CiberCuba team as an editor in the Entertainment section.

Yare Grau

Originally from Cuba, but living in Spain. I studied Social Communication at the University of Havana and later graduated in Audiovisual Communication from the University of Valencia. I am currently part of the CiberCuba team as an editor in the Entertainment section.