Why do people say blessyou when you sneez?

Question

Why do people say blessyou when you sneez

Answer 1

sounds good to me!!

Answer 2

This custom originated in the years of the great plague, shortly after the death of Christ. Pope Gregory the
Great began blessing many people to prevent the onslaught of the plague and this ascended into the custom of saying 'God bless you' whenever someone sneezed to hopefully prevent that person from getting the plague. So there you have it. Some people think that this saying is to get a persons heart beating after a sneeze... in fact, your heart does not stop a beat when you sneeze.

Answer 3

Why do we say "God bless you" after a sneeze?





How or why did saying "God bless you" become associated as an expression one says to another after the other sneezes? I've found some reasons listed below, but, somehow, I don't think any of them are very legitimate:

* When someone sneezes his heart stops and saying "God bless you" means "I'm glad your heart started again."
* Saying "God bless you" when you sneeze keeps the devil from flying down your throat.
* When someone sneezes, say "God bless you and may the devil miss you."
* 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).

How about giving me the Straight Dope? --Rob Amato, Washington, DC

SDSTAFF Songbird replies:

If you've just sneezed, Rob, I think I'd rather give you a box of Kleenex.

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 (www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_30 4.html), 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 (don't tell us; we don't want to know).

There are many superstitions regarding sneezing, some of which you've already listed. But here are some of my favorites.

Sneeze on Monday for health,
Sneeze on Tuesday for wealth,
Sneeze on Wednesday for a letter,
Sneeze on Thursday for something better,
Sneeze on Friday for sorrow,
Sneeze on Saturday, see your sweetheart tomorrow,
Sneeze on Sunday, safety seek.

One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a letter
Four for a boy.
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven for a secret, never to be told.

And lastly, a sneeze before breakfast is a sign that you will hear exciting news before the end of the day.

I assume you sneezed this morning, Rob, because you've just been blessed with the Straight Dope.

Answer 4

People believe that a sneeze tries to force the soul (and all things good) out of your body. By saying "bless you", the goodness around you is maintained and your soul can esily return.
I personally think the saying it (breathing out) prevents you from inhaling the germs exiting from the sneeze.

Answer 5

Actually, ther are two similar answers for this question. First, In the old days, people believed "evil spirits" would enter your body when you sneezed, so they would bless you!

Second, people then and now believe that sickness is from "evil spirits", so when you sneeze they say bless you!

Answer 6

I heard somewhere that in medieval times, people believed that a sneeze was your soul trying to escape your body. By saying "bless you", they were able to bless your soul and make it return to your body.

Answer 7

this is because sneezing is from ancient times is believed to bring bad luck or some bad news so it has been said to keep away the bad news

Answer 8

I was told that when someone sneezed :ahh choo", that it was thought that they were saying "bless you". So as not to seem rude, the other around them would repeat what was thought to be said. "bless you"

Answer 9

First symptom of bubonic plague.

'Ring a ring of roses
a pocket full of posies
atishoo atishoo.....we all fall down'

Bless you.....introduction to the last rites. You were as good as dead....including the person blessing you.

sad eh?

Answer 10

i think because people think even today that when you sneeze it makes your heart stop...they say bless you in case you die.

Answer 11

you can never have enough blessings.
but i think it is a polite way to handle a
somewhat awkward situation .