File:06379-BIG- 40 Martys Stip.jpg

The non-material landscape symbols- The Feast of the Holy Forty Martyrs takes place every year on 22 March,in Stip, Macedonia, honouring the fourth-century martyrs of Sebaste and marking the first day of spring. Participants gather on the streets and in the squares of Štip, and then hike up the Isar hill, stopping en route at the church to pay tribute to the Holy Forty Martyrs. During the climb – according to tradition – the participants must greet forty acquaintances and gather forty pebbles as well as forty flowers or twigs from the almond trees that grow nearby. On reaching the top, the participants make wishes and throw thirty-nine pebbles into the Bregalnica River below. The remaining pebble is kept and placed under the pillow before going to sleep.