Just wanting to know...
2006-07-13 07:54:56 · 9 answers · asked by errnmann 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Medicine
It comes from the Black Plague (Yersinia pestis) that killed over 1/3 of the European population in the mid 14th century. Basically, the idea was that people who sneezed had the plague, and needed God's blessing to stay alive.
2006-07-13 07:58:41 · answer #1 · answered by biosafety_level_4 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No it is not. The origin of this came from the medievil ages when the Bubonic Plague (the black death) was ravaging Europe. When you first contracted the Plague, one of the first symptoms was a cold/flu-like sneezing. Hence when someone sneezed, someone would say "God Bless you" as a prayer that you dont have the deadly desease. What further confirms this is the German answer to a sneeze is Godzuntit, which the verbatim translation something like "in good health".
2006-07-13 15:03:37 · answer #2 · answered by wvdoug1963 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because in medieval times people believed that everytime a person sneezed he lost some of his soul/spirit along with it. The person needed God's blessing to make his spirit whole again and to protect him in the interim.
2006-07-13 15:01:42 · answer #3 · answered by coffeeandcigarettes 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Black Plauge, when you got sick from it, you would start to sneeze and cough, sometimes it was bloody, and people would say "Good Bless You!" Because they knew your chances of survival was slim. And Ring Around the Rosies also comes from the Black Plauge.
"Ring around the rosies" the rosies are the victems "A pocket full of posies" Posies are flowers, either to symbolize death or just a superstiton belief that it would ward of the Plauge. "Ashes Ashes" They burned them! "We all fall down!" The villagers died.
That's all I remember, I don't know if it's exactly correct but it's pretty close!
2006-07-13 15:36:21 · answer #4 · answered by suppy_sup 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are several reasons...one that I still remember is back in the medieval time, people believed a person get sick because he/she is possessed by evil spirit. One would say 'God Bless You" to help drive the evil spirit away.
2006-07-13 14:59:04 · answer #5 · answered by galactic_man_of_leisure 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It arose because of a belief that when you sneeze you expel your life force, and "God bless you" is to restore it. The reason is of course silly, but we do lots of things for silly reasons.
2006-07-13 15:00:04 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It started in the 1600's when ppl thought you were possessed when you sneezed. They thought when you sneezed you were releasing a demon and saying "God bless you" would keep that demon from entering them.
2006-07-13 15:02:44 · answer #7 · answered by kconklin31 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
May have been started during the Bubonic plague. wikipedia has a great article on it (of course):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bless_you
2006-07-13 14:59:00 · answer #8 · answered by merigold00 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Agreed with merigold00
2006-07-13 15:02:23 · answer #9 · answered by Nice G 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋