HAVANA, November 28. /TASS/. Cuba has begun saying goodbye to Fidel Castro, as the country launches a nine-day mourning period to pay its last respects to the legendary leader.

The Jose Marti Memorial in Plaza de la Revolucion (Revolution Square) in the country’s capital of Havana is hosting the main ceremony.

Fidel Castro, the founder of the first socialist state in the Western hemisphere, died on November 25, aged 90.

On November 26, Cuba began 9 days of mourning for Fidel Castro. His funeral will be held on December 4 in the city of Santiago de Cuba.