why do people say 'bless you' when you sneeze?

Answer 1

There are a variety of theories as to how this started (see link). At this point, it's just a custom.

Answer 2

In ancient times, it was customary to congratulate someone who just
sneezed, because sneezing was viewed as the body's way to expel evil
spirits. This view may have been based on the observation that
people sneeze more often when they are ill, and illness was thought
to be caused by evil spirits.

In the fourteenth century, the black plague came to Europe
accompanied by violent sneezing among those afflicted. The Pope
passed a law that anyone who sneezed was to be blessed by those
nearby, with the hope that death might be averted. Today, most
people still say "Bless you!" when someone sneezes.

The Germans were a bit less religious about their sneezing customs.
To this day, they say "gesundheit" [geh-ZUND-hyt] after someone
sneezes, which simply means "good health."

Answer 3

I heard a source in Jewish Tradition that "in the beginning" a person would never be ill - rather when his time came he would sneeze and die. Apparently his soul would "escape" his body with the escaped air.
The first person to ever be ill was Jacob (In Egypt, after being reunited with his son Joseph). He asked for the mercy of God so that a person would know he is about to die, and make preparations.
God added illness and since then sneezes are less fateful. But until today when someone sneezes we reasure him in our reply.
In Hebrew the reply is 'health'
I suppose "bless you" is short for "may you be blessed with a long and healthy life"


i have an uncle who is a surgeon who just told me that the heart stopping thing is a myth

Answer 4

The custom of saying "God bless you" after a sneeze was begun literally as a blessing. Pope Gregory the Great (540-604 AD) ascended to the Papacy just in time for the start of the plague (his successor succumbed to it). Gregory (who also invented the ever-popular Gregorian chant) called for litanies, processions and unceasing prayer for God's help and intercession. Columns marched through the streets chanting, "Kyrie Eleison" (Greek for "Lord have mercy"). When someone sneezed, they were immediately blessed ("God bless you!") in the hope that they would not subsequently develop the plague. All that prayer apparently worked, judging by how quickly the plague of 590 AD diminished.

Answer 5

Your heart doesn't actually stop when you sneeze, the reason for saying god bless you was to protect you from developing an illness or plague in the olden days. Also to make sure that the evil that they thought to be expelled from your body when you sneeze will not re-enter.

Answer 6

I have heard that it is because your heart stops when you sneeze and it was a custom to say bless you after you sneezed so it would start again.

Answer 7

Its a short form of 'God Bless You' and in German, its 'Gesundheit'. Similar terms exist in many languages. The reason for this is that long ago, people thought your soul was in your breath. And that if you breathed too hard out, like in a sneeze, your soul could go out of your body, and not get back in. So they thought sneezing was a near death experience, and made a little prayer to save the spirit or soul of the sneezer.

Answer 8

Because it was believed that sneezing was a sign that you have the devil in you. You say "god bless you" when someone sneezes so the devil will come out of the body in the sneeze

Answer 9

okay get this.
In England when the plague was rampant across the country and killing many people. The BLESS YOU came from when you sneezed you might have the plaque. So in turn a religious quote of bless you was said to help and heal the soul before disease set in.

Answer 10

Because when you sneeze your soul leaves your body for a brief moment and you say "bless you" so the bad guys don't get it. Right? That's the old story anyways. I think.

Answer 11

Because when you sneeze, your heart stops, and the devil can get to your heart, so people say god bless you, this may not be true but i have heard it from two people.