Cuba begins official tribute to Fidel Castro

Thousands of Cubans gathered on Monday at Revolution Square in the capital Havana to pay tribute to the late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, who passed away late Friday at the age of 90.

Residents, officials, and members of Cuba's intellectual and artistic community, walked through the square's memorial to national hero Jose Marti and filed past photographs of Castro, who led the country for half a century.

Cuban Communist Party leaders, as well as top government officials, and senior military officers, maintained an honor guard in front of an image of the man who was popularly known as "El Comandante."

The ceremony began at 9:00 a.m. local time with a 21-gun salute, shot from the Cabana Fortress, as a tribute by the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) to Fidel.

Simultaneously, at thousands of locations around Cuba, people have been invited to sign a solemn oath to fulfill the "concept of Revolution," as expressed by Castro.

Following Castro's death, Cuba declared nine days of national mourning.

The tribute at Revolution Square will extend through Tuesday. Then, Castro's ashes will embark on a thousand-kilometer journey. On Dec. 4, his ashes are to be interred at the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in the province of Santiago de Cuba, alongside Jose Marti and other leading Cuban historic figures. Enditem