Why do people say "Bless You" when Someone sneezes. Is that a good reason to bless someone? When it start?

Answer 1

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.

The connection of sneezing to the plague is not the first association of sneezing with death. In the Dark Ages, it was believed that your heart stopped momentarily when you sneezed.
You were, in effect, dead for an instant and had to be blessed. Many cultures, even some in Europe, believe that sneezing expels the soul — the "breath of life"— from the body.
That doesn't seem too far-fetched when you realize that sneezing can send tiny particles speeding out of your nose at up to 100 miles per hour!

We know today, of course, that when you sneeze, your heart doesn't stop, nor does your soul get expelled, nor will your eyes pop out if you could keep them open. Also, it's just about impossible to hold your eyelids open while you sneeze. They snap shut by reflex. The nerves serving the eyes and the nose are closely intertwined, and stimuli to the one often trigger some response in the other.

What does get expelled are hundreds upon thousands of microscopic germs. The current advice when you sneeze is to cover your mouth with your arm rather than your hand. That way, all those germs won't be on your hands when you touch the countless things you're going to touch in the course of the day.

These days, one says "Bless you!" because it is expected, not out of concern for the wellbeing of the sneezer's soul or a need to disassociate oneself from the dying. During a multiple sneeze episode, bless once after the first sneeze and once after the last. Blessing each time gets tiring.

Answer 2

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.

The connection of sneezing to the plague is not the first association of sneezing with death. According to Man, Myth, and Magic: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mythology, Religion and the Unknown, many cultures, even some in Europe, believe that sneezing expels the soul--the "breath of life"--from the body. That doesn't seem too far-fetched when you realize that sneezing can send tiny particles speeding out of your nose at up to 100 miles per hour!

We know today, of course, that when you sneeze, your heart doesn't stop, nor will your eyes pop out if you can keep them open, nor does your soul get expelled. What does get expelled are hundreds upon thousands of microscopic germs. The current advice when you sneeze is to cover your mouth with your arm rather than your hand. That way, all those germs won't be on your hands when you touch the countless things you're going to touch in the course of the day.

Answer 3

No way. I hate that. i do not "bless" actual applications. human beings provide me better halves thoughts why I might want to, yet regardless of if a persons'' heart stops even as they sneeze, it keeps going. i have yet to be sure someone drop useless after a sneeze. i have considered strangers on the line say "Bless you" even as someone sneezes. Why? it style of appears like human beings in basic terms prefer to have that stupid little verbal substitute. someone sneezes, someone says "bless you", the sneezer says "thanks". the blesser says "you're welcome". it fairly is so stupid. If something, i will say excuse me each and every time I sneeze and that i will disguise my face with my sleeve or something. I under no circumstances sneeze into my hand. human beings might want to assert excuse me because they are spreading their germs in all places. in basic terms the different day, the receptionist at artwork sneezed and then requested me if i develop into going to bless her. I informed her NO. I don' t bless actual applications. what's humorous is, she has effortless me for years and he or she easily theory i develop into going to participate in that nonsense.

Answer 4

From what I understand, it started in the Middle Ages when there was a plague. The final symptom was coughing, sneezing and then death. People then said, "God bless you" meaning you will soon meet your Maker, so He will be kind to you and you will go to heaven.

To bless means to make happy. The utmost happiness, in this scenario, is going to heaven.

Answer 5

It's is an old wives tale that when you sneezed your soul left your body and people would say bless you to restore your blessings or your soul.

Answer 6

It's an old tradion from way back when the depression era was in full bloom , actually I don't know, but I heard it's because your heart skips a beat, when you sneeze because your holding your breath to sneeze, so says my elder.

Answer 7

The real reason is that when you sneeze, your entire mechanism just stops for that fraction of a second. So you could have actually died with it! But, you didn't die....so we say that God has blessed you by giving you one more chance to go on living.
The Muslims say, "Alhamdulillah!" whenever they sneeze, to thank their Lord for giving them continuity.

Answer 8

It is scientically proven that when someone "sneezes" his/her heartbeat stops for some micro second. You can say person goes closer to God when he/she sneezes. Therefore, people say "bless you".

Not sure when did it start. I have hearing it, since the time I can remember. Bless you.

Answer 9

The term "Bless You" comes from the fact that when you sneeze your heart stop beating.

Answer 10

I think it goes back to when it was thought that when one sneezes that his heart stops for that moment and the bless you is to encourage the heart to continue.