Today, July 7, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Holy Great Martyr Nedelya. It is also known as Kyriakia.
According to folk beliefs, if the weather on July 7 is hot, the winter is going to be long and cold. If the weather is cool and rainy, we will have a mild winter.
Born in Asia Minor in the 3rd century, when Emperor Diocletian ruled. After many years without children, Saint Nedela's parents managed to beg her with persistent prayers from God. Because their daughter was born on Sunday, they named her Sunday.
From an early age, little Nedelya turned to God and therefore took a vow of chastity. Because she was extremely beautiful, many noble young men wanted her as a wife, but she always refused them. She claimed to be the wife of Jesus Christ and was ready to die for him. Enraged by the refusal of the beautiful Nedelya to become his wife, an ambitious rich young man went to the emperor and reported that Nedelya was a Christian, writes BLITZ.
Emperor Diocletian ordered the Christian parents to be exiled, and the young and persistent Christian Nedela to be tortured. But during the night, Jesus Christ appeared in her cell, completely restoring the stricken flesh, and in the morning Sunday was like new.
The emperor got tired of going around in this vicious circle and he ordered Sunday to be cut down with a sword. They allowed the future martyr to fulfill one of her wishes and she asked to pray to Christ for the last time. While praying, she gave up her spirit to God without having to be cut with the sword. Saint Nedela became a great martyr in 289 on July 7.
In the 10th century during the First Bulgarian Kingdom, the church canonized Saint Sunday. During the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, the relics of Saint Nedelya were transferred to the capital Tarnovo.
Saint Euthymius, Bulgarian patriarch wrote a life of Saint Nedelya, in which he describes her spiritual feat with the most flattering words of admiration and adoration, which he compares to a bright shining star in the sky. Saint Euthymius for the first time translated the name Kyriakia (which is Greek) into Bulgarian and called the Holy Martyr Sunday.
Today everyone with the names Nedelya, Neshka, Nedka, Neli, Delyana, Dela, Delina, Delitsa, Nedelcho, Nedko, Nedyalko, Neiko, Nenko, Neicho, Neno, Delyo, Delyan and Delcho are celebrating their name day.< /strong>