What do you really say when you or someone else sneezes?

Question

This has always bugged me, because so many different people do alot of different things. I would just like to clear it up, once and for all. Thank you in advance!

Answer 1

I say Bless You! And if no one is around to hear me sneeze, then I say Bless Me! Don't know why, I just do.

Answer 2

Some people say "Bless You", which seems kind of silly to me, provided its nonsensical origin.

In medieval times, people believed that when someone sneezed, their soul would leave their body, leaving them vulnerable to being possessed by demons. So they would say that to protect them from being possessed. Crazy, I know, but this was back in a time when they would drill a hole in your head to let the demons out if you were unfortunate enough to have a mental illness. Yes... Civilization has cetainly progressed since then. Today, we just cover our mouths, and if we're nuts, we see a psychiatrist.

But more than that, the cliche has taken on a different meaning today. We don't realy believe that someone is going to get possessed when they sneeze. What we really mean when we say "Bless you" is, "I hope you're well".

Think of it like the Chinese who say, literally, "Have you eaten today?", when they really mean, "Good morning, how are you today?", culturally associating fullness with happiness.

So there you have it... It's something that evolved from an medieval western civilization and has come to take on a new meaning in our modern culture.

Answer 3

In my country we say Nazdravlje!, which is something like Bless you!, or Zivio! , which means that I wish you to live a long life.
I say it only to my friends and family, because some people hate that, and I wouldnt want to offend someone I dont know very well.

Answer 4

I imagine most people believe that whatever it is THEY say is what you're SUPPOSED to say. I say "bless you" because everytime you sneeze your heart skips a beat. Or so I have been told.

Answer 5

I don't say anything, just as I don't say anything for any other bodily function or noise. You don't have to comment on people's sneezes; that's just superstition, not politeness.

Answer 6

I usually say "Gesundheit."

"Salud" literally means "health," so it's another good thing to say when someone sneezes.

Answer 7

When I sneeze, I say, "Excuse me!" When someone else sneezes, I say, "Gesundheit!" (It's German and loosely translated, it means, "To your health!")

Answer 8

Would you like fries with that?

Answer 9

I say "God bless You"

Answer 10

"Someone get me a towel" ??