2007-03-28 17:36:16 · 15 answers · asked by glowstarlight 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
One of hte first symptoms of the Black Death was sneezing, so you want God to Bless You
2007-03-28 18:36:29 · answer #1 · answered by Experto Credo 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There's quite a lot of different theories on the origins of the response to sneezing. Nowadays people just do it to be polite.
The most common theme goes back to old druid times, which say that sneezing is a person's way of expelling demons, and saying "bless you" prevents the demon from returning to their body. The next is similar, saying that the soul is ejected with a sneeze, and that blessing the soul allows it to return.
In some countries, a sneeze is thought to be healthy and people respond to give the sneezer additional good fortune. This sentiment is reflected in some old english nursery rhymes.
Incidentally, it's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. Try it sometime. You'll always blink.
2007-03-29 00:54:24 · answer #2 · answered by Laelia 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The story I heard is a bit different. That during the Middle Ages, they thought evil spirits were escaping through the sneeze, therefore the God Bless You.
2007-03-29 03:23:01 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is my understanding that this came before modern medicine when a sneeze was the beginning og a serious illness and people would die soon after. So people began to think if you sneezed you were going to die so God bless you became a way of saying sorry you're dying.
2007-03-29 00:45:55 · answer #4 · answered by Sheriff of Yahoo! 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The sneeze was a sign of the plague, so people would say "God bless you", because the plague was thought to be the worst thing that could happen to a person.
2007-03-29 01:43:25 · answer #5 · answered by omgitsalexb 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
People say bless you, same as God bless you, when you sneeze because your heart stops every time you sneeze. So for the fact that your heart stopped and you are still alive, they say God bless you.
2007-03-29 00:40:38 · answer #6 · answered by Boricua Born 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Thats because while sneezing the heart stops for a second and then continues to perform its beating activity.
2007-03-29 03:58:10 · answer #7 · answered by PRAVEEN M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some of you got it close. During the Black Plague, often the last thing somebody did before dying of the plague was to have a sneazing fit, and this exhausted their already exhausted body and they died. So the Pope directed the people to say "God bless you" because this could very well be their final blessing before they died.
2007-03-29 01:59:18 · answer #8 · answered by I am B 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's superstition, people began saying "bless you" because they thought that the devil could enter through you if you sneezed, so people say "bless you" to make the devil go away. It's just superstition, but it stuck around and not much people know, and im only 13 Lol!
2007-03-29 00:44:50 · answer #9 · answered by bsjokerkid 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
your heart stops when you sneeze and it's a thank you for not dying in front of the person who blessed you
2007-03-29 00:43:31 · answer #10 · answered by WDOUI 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋