Why do we say "bless you" after someone sneezes?

Answer 1

There are many theories regarding the origin of this custom.

One traditional explanation for the custom is that it began literally as a blessing. Pope Gregory I the Great (AD 540-604) ascended to the Papacy just in time for the start of the bubonic plague in AD 590 (his successor succumbed to it). To combat the plague, Gregory ordered litanies, processions and unceasing prayer for God's intercession. When someone sneezed (seen as the initial onset of the plague), they were immediately blessed ("God bless you!") in the hope that they would not actually develop the disease. Sneezing while alone necessitated saying "Bless me."

Other theories are based on superstitions and urban legends about sneezing and what a sneeze entails. Some well known superstitions that may have contributed to bringing bless you into common use are:

The heart stops when you sneeze (it doesn't), and the phrase bless you is meant to ensure the return of life or to encourage your heart to continue beating.
A sneeze is the expulsion of some sort of evil, and the phrase is meant to ward off the evil's re-entry.
Your soul can be thrown from your body when you sneeze, and saying bless you prevents your soul from being stolen by Satan or some evil spirit. Thus, bless you or God bless you is used as a sort of shield against evil.
A sneeze is good luck and saying "bless you" is no more than recognition of the sneezer's luckiness.
Alternatively, it may be possible that the phrase began rather uninterestingly as a response for an event that wasn't well understood at the time.

Another urban legend states that you cannot open your eyes while you sneeze, or if you manage to your eyes will pop out. This is, as stated, nothing more than an urban legend.

Answer 2

because people like to fit in....one person hears it and they go...oh i should say that too!

seriously tho, here are some possible reasons:
1.
One traditional explanation for the custom is that it began literally as a blessing. Pope Gregory I the Great (AD 540-604) ascended to the Papacy just in time for the start of the bubonic plague in AD 590 (his successor succumbed to it). To combat the plague, Gregory ordered litanies, processions and unceasing prayer for God's intercession. When someone sneezed (seen as the initial onset of the plague), they were immediately blessed ("God bless you!") in the hope that they would not actually develop the disease. Sneezing while alone necessitated saying "Bless me."

2.
Other theories are based on superstitions and urban legends about sneezing and what a sneeze entails. Some well known superstitions that may have contributed to bringing bless you into common use are:

* The heart stops when you sneeze (it doesn't), and the phrase bless you is meant to ensure the return of life or to encourage your heart to continue beating.
* A sneeze is the expulsion of some sort of evil, and the phrase is meant to ward off the evil's re-entry.
* Your soul can be thrown from your body when you sneeze, and saying bless you prevents your soul from being stolen by Satan or some evil spirit. Thus, bless you or God bless you is used as a sort of shield against evil.
* A sneeze is good luck and saying "bless you" is no more than recognition of the sneezer's luckiness.

Answer 3

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 in 590 AD (his successor succumbed to it). To combat the plague Gregory ordered litanies, processions and unceasing prayer for God's intercession. When someone sneezed, they were immediately blessed ("God bless you!") in the hope that they would not subsequently develop the plague.

Answer 4

GOD BLESS YOU -- "I wish you well. Samuel Johnson's (1709-84) last words on his deathbed in 1784 were 'God bless you, my dear!' The phrase is also used when someone sneezes, since in many cultures it is believed that the soul leaves the body during a sneeze, and God is called on to protect the sneezer from evil spirits at such a vulnerable time. The word 'God' is often omitted." From "The Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings" by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).

Answer 5

following superstitions started it:

The heart stops when you sneeze (it doesn't), and the phrase bless you is meant to ensure the return of life or to encourage your heart to continue beating.

A sneeze is the expulsion of some sort of evil, and the phrase is meant to ward off the evil's re-entry.

Your soul can be thrown from your body when you sneeze, and saying bless you prevents your soul from being stolen by Satan or some evil spirit. Thus, bless you or God bless you is used as a sort of shield against evil.

A sneeze is good luck and saying "bless you" is no more than recognition of the sneezer's luckiness.

Answer 6

Oh my! There are a lot of theories and superstitions on this one [see ref 1]! Aside from links with evil it as also been seen as a sign of good luck [2] and the phrase Bless you can be used as an acknowledgement of this luckiness.

But I honestly prefer the following two explanations:

1. For the same reason we say 'Pardon me' if we burp! It is polite and good manners. Without it there would be a ghastly silence!

2. Another explanation and one that I also believe is that it is about simple human acknowledgement of another's presence.

Answer 7

In the days past people didn't understand what caused sneezing.
They thought it was evil spirits entering or leaving the boddy. They said god bless you to prevent the evil spirit from coming back.
Now it is just a custom and I no longer do.

Answer 8

I read in a book once that people used to think that sneezing would help purify your body/and or soul..

It even got to the point that some people would make themselves sneeze on a fairly regular basis to help make them 'clean' again.

Thus.. God Bless You.. to help purify you from sin.

Answer 9

People believed that when one sneezed it allowed a chance for a bad spirit to enter the person and make them sick. Er tu....."Bless You" or God bless u and make sure you don't get sick by the bad spirit. Strange but true

Answer 10

some people believed your soul could be thrown out of your body through sneezing so they said bless you as protection.
Other reason, they believed evil spirits could enter you, that sneezing was a way of expelling these spirits from your body and they would bless you to prevent them re-entering.