or when you sneeze and someone else says "bless you" do you thank them?
2007-09-19 17:34:49 · 23 answers · asked by Salad 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
Yes I do, and yes I do.
However, when they sneeze 12 times in a row, I feel awkward after saying "bless you" after each sneeze. What is the rule on that?
2007-09-19 17:38:02 · answer #1 · answered by JD 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. When I explain this to people, they'll ask me, "Why don't you?" I always follow this up by asking "Why do you?" The most common and reasonable answer is that it's polite to do so, but why should it be considered as such? It accomplishes nothing, and as others have already mentioned, it gets incredibly awkward when someone is sick and sneezes a lot.
Maybe it's "polite" because we're wishing the person well so that they don't get sick? If so, why do we only do it for sneezes? Why not whenever someone coughs, trips over their shoelaces or complains of an achy breaky heart?
No one (that I know of, anyway) really knows how it all started, but Snopes.com has some credible-sounding theories.
The only other reason it is considered "polite" is because we were all taught to do it. The practice continues nowadays because you learned it from your parents, who learned it from their parents, who learned it from your parents' parents' parents, and so on and so forth forever and ever and ever up until the beginning of time.
As time marches on, society becomes more intelligent. Why should we tie ourselves down to the superstitions of the past?
2007-09-20 00:56:11 · answer #2 · answered by rallyrev 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes. I always say bless you, and if I sneezer I thank the person who said bless you. It's proper etiquette. And to the person above me. Saying bless you is not a superstitious thing. The origin of 'bless you' is because when you sneeze your heart stops beating for that milisecond you sneeze. it has nothing to do with superstition and is now just seen as common curtasy.
2007-09-20 00:44:35 · answer #3 · answered by Ashley 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No and yes... when someone sneezes I do not say bless you but if I sneeze and someone else says it I say thank you just to be polite.
2007-09-20 00:43:00 · answer #4 · answered by SP 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes I do. Yes I do. If they sneeze 5 or more times in a row- on the 5th one I tell them to shut up (just joking of course). Peace
2007-09-20 00:53:47 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. It's an old fashioned term from pre-Victorian days. It use to be centuries ago that people thought when they had a powerful sneeze that their souls could temporarily be taken from their body. Anyone who heard them would quickly say: God bless you, meaning, may your soul return to your body. Of course, today it means different things but that 's the history of it as far as I know. Saying thank you is appropriate.
2007-09-20 00:42:33 · answer #6 · answered by talondora 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes and Yes. However if they sneeze repeatedly I choose not to say it each time. Now the real question is do you bless yourself if nobody is around... now thats superstious.
2007-09-20 00:46:37 · answer #7 · answered by scorch_22 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When someone sneezes, I say "You're blessed."
2007-09-20 01:00:33 · answer #8 · answered by Skunk 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i did until i found out ppl used to say it cuz they thought a sneeze meant there was a chance ur gonna die. i say gesundheit means the same thing but i dont think of the plague when i say it
2007-09-20 00:43:26 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. But i do it out of courtesy. Because others usually do it. After reading talondora and paiges comments i will research it. And if their statements apply. I will proably not respond to it anymore. I am a christian and not superstitious. This was a very interesting question. Thanks
2007-09-20 01:06:15 · answer #10 · answered by MS Williams 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋