Fidel Castro's memorial service will begin with a 21-gun salute.

Twenty-one gun salutes will be fired simultaneously in Havana and Santiago in memory of leader Fidel Castro, who led the country for nearly five decades.

People will have two days to pay their respects to Fidel in Havana, before his ashes are laid to rest in a cemetery in the city of Santiago. Photo: Reuters

The memorial service for late President Fidel Castro will take place from 9am to 10pm on November 28 at the Jose Marti Monument in Havana. A 21-gun salute will open the ceremony in the capital, along with a 21-gun salute in the eastern city of Santiago, according to CNN.

The Jose Marti Monument, where Fidel's ashes are temporarily held, is the highest point in Havana. Located on Revolution Square, the monument is one of the country's most iconic landmarks. For decades, large demonstrations in support of the Revolution and important speeches by Fidel have been held here.

On November 29, tens of thousands of people are expected to pay their respects to the late leader in the square. After that, Fidel's ashes will begin a journey of about 1,000 kilometers from Havana to Santiago. This will be a retracement of the journey Castro took as a young man, when he led a guerrilla movement to overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

After nine days of national mourning, the revolutionary leader's ashes will be laid to rest at the Santa Ifigenia cemetery on December 4, following another crowded ceremony in Santiago's Antonio Maceo Square.

In addition to the preparations for the official event, hundreds of thousands of people across Cuba took to the streets, waving flags and chanting slogans in memory of Fidel. Sports and cultural activities will be suspended during the national mourning period, flags will be flown at half-mast, and newspapers will be printed in black ink to commemorate the late leader.

Former President Fidel Castro, symbol of the Cuban revolution, passed away on the evening of November 25 in the capital Havana at the age of 90. His body was cremated according to his wishes.

According to VNE