The blood of the martyr-bishop traditionally liquefies about 3 times every year. September 19, the first Saturday of May, and December 16th. The last one is the rarest of the three.
The blood is usually in solid-state
until it liquifies. Below is the video, it can be seen in its liquid state. This occurred in Naples
This happened on Sunday, May 2 at 5:18 pm local time after it remained in solid state in December last year. The annual celebration of relics was canceled this year because of pandemic restrictions though.
The priest in the video holds it up and repeatedly rotates the reliquary to show that the transformation had occured.
This miracle has historically been responsible for many visits to Naples every year. The liquefication is seen as a sign of fortune for Naples and its failure to liquify is seen as a bad omen.
During Sunday Mass, before the blood liquefied, Archbishop Domenico Battaglia said of the miracle in his homily:
“The blood of the martyrs is not a museum piece or a simple relic to be cherished but it is a living sign for the today that is given to us, a clear indication for this time that we are called to live, a prophecy of the way in which we must live and a clear reference to what is worth dying for.”
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About the Saint, briefly:
Januarius was the bishop of Benevento, Italy sometime around the early fourth century. There are no real records of him today but tradition holds that he was persecuted under emperor Diocletian. He was known to hide other Christians to save their lives durring the persectuion. He was discovered and was publicly executed. After this, a faithful woman named Eusebia collected his blood in two flasks to keep it as a relic. But it was noticed that his blood would liquefy from time to time, the first recording was in 1389.
