i know to be polite but why bless you?/?
2006-11-21 14:07:59 · 28 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
Your question is really a good one. I doubt if anyone knows the answer to it. I suppose what they really mean is,"I hope that God heals you;" that is, if it is a result of a cold or sickness of some kind. But if you really think about it, that could not be the case with every person who says it; because many of the people who say it (usually just out of habit) do not know the first thing about God. I'm sure it is meant for good in some way. The only thing that I can think of, is that probably a long time ago, when it first began to happen, that people who truly knew the blessings of God, and that one of them was to give physical healing to us all, would say it truly meaning, "May God heal you." Sorry, I do not know a better answer to give you.
2006-11-21 14:17:53 · answer #1 · answered by Calvin S 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Other explanations 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 simply 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. Both of the statements are untrue.
2006-11-21 22:10:39 · answer #2 · answered by sweet p 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In medieval times whenever a person sneezed they thought that that person was really ill or something was really wrong with them and so they would say God Bless You . They literally thought that this would happen ...
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.
2006-11-21 22:12:04 · answer #3 · answered by conniecatalina 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Really its God Bless You. And its came from the Roman Catholic Religion. They said that by saying God Bless You it would keep any evil spirits from entering your body when you sneeze. The more modern reason is that when you sneeze your heart skips a beat so you are again saying God Bless You because you lived through your heart skipping a beat.
2006-11-22 00:13:15 · answer #4 · answered by ebsharer 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
many many decades ago, people had a superstitious fear about evil spirits bringing sickness closer to the mind and soul, since a sneeze comes from the chest and head (nose). Saying bless you, would dispell bad spirits and encourage health. Notice that its a little sign of sickness from close to the head where mind and spirit was thought mainly to be, but if someone burped or farted, its from below, no threat to that person's soul, and people don't say bless you, maybe they even say "curse you" -- heehee
2006-11-21 22:17:50 · answer #5 · answered by million$gon 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because people used to believe that when somebody sneezes, they are letting out an evil soul from their self.
You say bless you to "thank" them for resisting an evil spirit.
Good luck, Peace, and may God bless you.
2006-11-21 22:16:35 · answer #6 · answered by husam 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
After all, we have no such custom for people when they cough or hiccup. In ancient times, it was believed that the soul left your body when you sneezed and that evil spirits could then enter. Blessing you was supposed to prevent this.
2006-11-21 22:37:55 · answer #7 · answered by Christine 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Years ago it was believed that when you sneezed
a part of your soul was about to leave you and to
bless you would keep that from happening.
2006-11-21 22:13:49 · answer #8 · answered by Mojo Ryzin 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
when you sneeze, ur heart stops for a split second. people say bless you meaning may God bless you with life.
2006-11-21 22:12:31 · answer #9 · answered by helper 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
have heard it said that if holdback or prevent a sneeze could stop your heart.......
not sure if that is true, but maybe someone did and thought it was best to bless them before departure......
not meaning to be rude for really do not know!
always been curious about that too!
guess some excuse beats none!
2006-11-21 22:12:21 · answer #10 · answered by Marsha 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋