Where does the expression "Bless you" originate?

Question

bless you!

Answer 1

When we sneeze it was believed we lost part of our spirit, because God gave Adam life by breathing up his nose - hence 'god bless you'

Answer 2

It has nothing to do with sneezing as such; though a blessing was often given in the middle-ages, as sneezing was often an early sign of the black Death. Hence the bit about "Ring-a-ring,o' roses" (a reference to the rash in the early stages of the Plague) as well as "atishoo, atishoo, ALL FALL DOWN (dead)"

The origin of "God Bless" is to be found in the Book of Common Prayer, but was originally taken from the Jewish "Torah" which forms part of the Old Testament.

It is short for the final prayer, "May God bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you ....etc"

This is reduced to the simple, "God Bless" as a form of amiable departure, but came into common usage as a well-wishing during the years of the Black Death.

Answer 3

Usually said after someone sneezes!
Was a method of Blessing the Person,as they believed a Sneeze was a Demon leaving the Body of a Person!
Therefore You Bless them to stop the demon returning!!

Answer 4

i heard that saying 'bless you' when you sneezed originated during the black death. One of the first symptoms was sneezing, so if your friends or family started sneezing you would say 'bless you' so they would be ready to meet God when they died, which was not a long way off but sometime soon!!

Answer 5

this originates from the time of the black death/plague in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The first sign of having caught the plaque was sneezing and most people knew this and knew the person would enevitably die so they said "bless you"
the rhyme ring a ring a roses also originates from around this time

ring a ring a roses
a pocket full of poses (bundles of herbs thought to ward off plague)
atichoo atichoo (again the sneezing)
we all fall down (as in dying )

Answer 6

from the days when any minor illness could prove fatal, people invoked the blessing of God on the person who sneezed to ward off the illness. some think it is because the black death had sneezing as an early symptom but this is not so. incidentally, the Black Death may have been a form of anthrax and not bubonic plague as once thought.

Answer 7

People used to think that when you sneezed your soul popped out and then went back in again. 'bless you' was said to keep away demons who might grab your soul for evil purposes.
Although what possible connection there could be between your soul and what comes out of your nostrils when you have a bad cold beats me.

Answer 8

I thought it was red-indian or something. They believed that when you sneezed your soul came out and the only way to make it go back in was to bless them. I think...

Answer 9

Many people believed that when you sneezed, the devil can get into your body/soul/nose whatever. So they would call the blessing of God on you to turf the devil out.

Answer 10

I always thought it was because sneezing was one of the first signs of TB or the consumption and saying bless you was to hope you were not getting the disease.

Answer 11

It's for people who sneezed during the black plague - it was thought that when you sneezed you had contracted the bubonic plague and were going to die. Bless you is kind of religious sympathy - sort of "sorry your going to die - good luck".