2006-07-31 01:30:12 · 18 answers · asked by Jojo 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
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.
Other theories are based on superstitions and urban legends about sneezing and what a sneeze entails. Some people think the heart stops, but it doesn't...some people think the sneezer is lucky and the 'bless you' is an extension of that.
2006-07-31 01:34:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 19⤊ 1⤋
There are many theories for saying "bless you" when somebody sneezes. The phrase came from one of the popes when somebody sneezed and he said "God bless you."
There are superstitions about sneezing that also brings up the phrase. Some people think 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.
2006-07-31 01:39:56 · answer #2 · answered by stick 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pope Gregory the Great (540-604 AD) ascended to the Papacy just in time for the start of the plague. Gregory (who also invented the Gregorian chant) called for litanies, processions and unceasing prayer for intercession. Columns marched through the streets chanting, "Kyrie Eleison" (Greek for "Lord have mercy").
When someone sneezed, they were immediately blessed 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.
Read more about this at ...
2006-07-31 01:36:09 · answer #3 · answered by LibraHorse 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The custom comes from the Middle ages.
When people sneezed, it was an early sign of the plague. The saying at the time was "bless me!" if you did the sneezing, and "bless you" if you were near them.
They asked to be blessed by god in the absence of any medical knowledge.
Thankfully we've evolved a bit since them. Nowadays if anyone says "bless you" when I sneeze, I just give them a condescending look. They stop quickly after that...
2006-07-31 01:33:55 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
It used to be thoght (no idea why) that when you sneezed the devil could enter your soul. By Blessing You, this was prevented.
This was clearly a serious enough belief that the language worked its way into daily use. It makes you think about how much nonsense there might be in some beliefs that are taken deadly seriously today
2006-07-31 01:38:20 · answer #5 · answered by agtfos 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It comes from the time of the Black Plague.. sneezing was the beginning of the illness during that time, and when someone sneezed.. God Bless You... was to help them not have the disease.
2006-07-31 01:45:29 · answer #6 · answered by Imani 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When you sneeze you stop breathing for a second and people say, "Bless you" in case you die.
2006-07-31 01:33:11 · answer #7 · answered by EMAILSKIP 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In psychology class, our teacher said that in the medieval days there was a superstition that said when you sneezed your soul could escape. It was originally a German superstition and phrase, "Gesundheit."
When the superstition spread to England it was translated, and that's where we get "Bless you."
2006-07-31 01:40:26 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
RE:
Where does the saying "bless you" come from, when someone sneezes?
2015-07-30 23:25:53 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
bless sneezes
2016-01-23 22:51:20 · answer #10 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋