On May 4, 1903, in the village of Banitsa near Serres, Goce Delchev was killed - a teacher, revolutionary and one of the founders of TMORO, the organisation that ran the anti-Ottoman struggle and prepared the Ilinden Uprising. Today marks 123 years since that day. His remains rest in the Church of Sveti Spas in Skopje, where they were moved in 1946.

Delegations, citizens and politicians will lay flowers at his grave today. Prime Minister Mickoski will attend the liturgy. Parliament will award the 2026 state prize bearing Delchev's name. The Goce Delchev University in Stip is holding its traditional ceremony with folk instruments and the national anthem.

Delchev remains the figure the whole country invokes, but whose legacy is rarely discussed in any real depth. He was a teacher who became a fighter - a man who walked out of the classroom to build liberation networks. His most quoted line - "the world is a bad joke" - sounds different depending on who is quoting it and why. Macedonia commemorates him. That is fine. Whether Macedonia actually understands him is a much bigger question.