Why do people say God bless you when you sneeze?

Answer 1

in the great plague, people used to walk around with a posy of flowers- to keep the smell of death away- sneezing- was the first sign of the plague- so if you sneezed- people said- "God Bless You" , because chances were- that you were gonna die. that is what the nursery rhyme- is about------
ring a ring a rosies,
pocket full of posies
Atishoo, Atishoo, we all fall down.

Answer 2

There is a theory that when one sneezes, one's heart stops for a split second. So, they say "God Bless You."

Answer 3

I thought it was because you can not breath when you sneeze and it's dangerous so you say god bless you cause your still alive. Sounds silly but that's what I was taught.

Answer 4

technically, because when you sneeze, your heart stops beating for that second. So it became a phrase that should the heart not start again after the sneeze that you would go to heaven.

Answer 5

This is what i read "a human's soul might escape through a sneeze. Saying "God bless you" wards off Satan while the soul is temporarily vulnerable"

i really don't believe it

Answer 6

If you like comedian Dane Cook. He does a funny bit about sneezing and god bless you. you can check it out on HBO...Dane Cook Viscious Circles

Answer 7

I don't know how it relates but when you sneeze your hearts stops for a half second, maybe that is why

Answer 8

they used to think you would lose your soul when you sneezed so if you were blessed afterwards,it stays in,I read that some where

Answer 9

In the Middle Ages they believed you were possessed if you were sick so when you sneezed, they thought you were expelling the spirits out of your body, so they said it so that the spirits couldn't re-enter.

Answer 10

On Seinfeld they came up with a revolutionary saying after a sneeze- "You're so good looking".