Also known as Sebaste Martyrs are Roman soldiers who became martyrs for the Christian faith in 320. Tradition describes the martyrdom of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste in traditional martyrologies.
Located on Krkardash in Bitola, in the area known as Smilevski Bair, this church was constructed 150 years ago on the former site of a monastery named St. Athanasius.
During the Feast of the Holy Forty Martyrs, on 22 March, all participants gather on the streets and in the squares of Stip to pay tribute to the fourth-century martyrs of Sebaste. During that day of spring, participants hike up the Isar hill and stop at the church to pay tribute to the Holy Forty Martyrs.
In Cappadocia, at Caesarea, a church was built. It was in this church that Basil publicly delivered his sermon. Gregory of Nyssa eulogized the Forty Martyrs. His speeches about them were preserved in the church dedicated to them, and upon his parents' death, he buried them beside the relics of the confessors. Ephrem the Syrian also praised the Forty Martyrs.
In the handwritten diary of eyewitness Sozomen, Caesarius describes how, through the influence of Empress Pulcheria, the relics were found in Constantinople, in the shrine dedicated to Saint Thyrsus built by Caesarius. Their earliest account is a homily delivered by Bishop Basil of Caesarea in a sermon on their feast day. The Feast of the Forty Martyrs is thus older than Basil himself, who was only fifty or sixty years old after their deaths when he eulogized them. They were killed near the town of Sebaste in Lesser Armenia, victims of the persecutions of Licinius, who after 316 persecuted the Christians of the East.
In traditional ceremonies, the climb to the top of the hill involves greeting forty acquaintances, gathering forty pebbles, and gathering flowers or branches from the almond trees growing nearby. When the climb reaches the top, the participants make their wishes and throw thirty-nine pebbles into the Bregalnica River below. They then throw the remaining pebbles into the river.
Throughout the day, musical groups play on the hill. Families hand down the tradition by hiking with their children, or older relatives and friends passing it down to younger generations. However, this event in the spring promotes and encourages teamwork and solidarity among many different age groups, social classes, and backgrounds through selfless cooperation from many people across all walks of life. The feast also contributes to the sense of belonging to the city and its traditions as it brings together the many religious and ethnic groups that live in Stip.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/feast-of-the-holy-forty-martyrs-in-tip-00734) (https://www.macedoniancuisine.com/2017/03/holy-40-martyrs-on-krkardash-bitola.html (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty_Martyrs_of_Sebaste)