Observance of religious feast days on March 26 and 27

On March 27, the Orthodox Church honors Saints Philetus, Lydia, Theoprepius, Macedon, and Saint Matrona of Thessaloniki. Saint Matrona, who lived in the 3rd century AD, was martyred after serving a noble Jewish woman and refusing to renounce her Christian faith. Her remains were buried near the Golden Gate of Thessaloniki, now identified as Democracy Square. Additionally, March 26 marks the feast day of Saint Poulios the Reader and the Holy Martyrs of Gothia. These martyrs were killed by fire between 375 and 383 AD under the rule of the Gothic King Jungurich and Emperor Gratian. A Christian man was also executed for confessing his faith during the incident. The relics of the martyrs of Gothia were recovered by a Christian noblewoman and later distributed to the city of Cyzicus. These events form part of the traditional Orthodox calendar observed in Greece.