2006-07-20 05:25:49 · 12 answers · asked by MM 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
I really don't know, but as much as I can look up I am only understood that a blessing is a gift, but not everyone is worthy of such gift.
It says that the blessing of those who sneeze started when the great plague took hold of Europe. Sufferers began sneezing violently, and as such, were bound to die. The Pope therefore passed a law requiring people to bless the sneezer. At the same time, it was expected that anybody sneezing would cover their mouth with a cloth or their hand. This was obviously to stop the spreading of the disease, but many believed that it was to keep the soul intact. Sneezing 'into the air' would allow the soul to escape and death would be imminent. Up until this time, the opposite was true. Those who sneezed were congratulated as it was believed that a violent sneeze would expel evil from their bodies.
I was though to say Bless you to be polite to other and to let them know that you don't feel uncomfortable that they are sneezing next to you. That is how my parents raised me. And this showed the other people that you are a good person and a Christian.
But I have learned that you don't need to say this words to be know, showing respect people can tell who you are.
2006-07-20 05:46:51 · answer #1 · answered by Evy 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Back in the middle ages, sneezing was one of the first signs of the bubonic plague,which killed people off pretty quickly and had a death toll over 25 million people, and the person didn't always have a chance to get their Last Rites, so saying 'bless you ' when one sneezed came about as an ultra shortened verison of Last Rites.And some cultures believe that when you sneeze, you soul escapes, so saying bless you was meant to keep your soul where it belonged.
2006-07-20 12:32:16 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sometime in history there was a plague of some sort and the people who got sick with the deathly disease would sneeze. So whenever someone sneezed, people assumed that the sneezer was getting that disease and would die soon, and so they said "God bless you" which was eventually shortened to "bless you"
(That's the story I was told, at least.)
2006-07-20 12:30:10 · answer #3 · answered by Oink 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you sneeze your soul tries to escape and saying "God bless you" crams it back in (said by Millhouse in an episode of The Simpsons).
2006-07-21 17:09:39 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
this is stretching it, but there's a saying "bless your soul" and "bless you" is the shorter variation. when you sneeze, its like your soul is trying to escape.
actually, i think someone tried to explain this on the radio once.
2006-07-20 12:29:44 · answer #5 · answered by got_deam_munalla 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
b/c people used to thing your soul was trying to escape when you sneezed. if it escaped, you died. so you need to be blessed when this happens. makes complete sense, right?
2006-07-20 12:29:15 · answer #6 · answered by anonymous 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Back in the olden days, (medieval times) people thought it was an evil demon escaping your body and they would say 'god bless you' for having such a miracle happen.
2006-07-20 12:30:11 · answer #7 · answered by Marie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because you die when you sneeze and then come back to life.
2006-07-20 12:29:20 · answer #8 · answered by Good Gushy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have heard two reasons, one is what they are saying about he soul escaping, but i have also heard that it was a sign of a demon or such trying to get into a person
2006-07-20 12:30:48 · answer #9 · answered by Ralph M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
im not sure if this is true or not but my grandmother always said its so bad spirits dont enter you body when you sneeze.
2006-07-20 12:31:43 · answer #10 · answered by c_cupp2 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋