2007-11-17 15:18:25 · 26 answers · asked by Banana Head 1 in Health ➔ Other - Health
A couple of hundred years ago people used to think that when you sneezed you soul would escape and thus give the Devil easy access to it ............. therefore they would say bless you or God bless you to protect your soul!!
CHEERS
♥
2007-11-17 15:21:57 · answer #1 · answered by Minx 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
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!
2007-11-17 23:21:40 · answer #2 · answered by fla_dan 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well the simple answer is because it's polite. The custom originated back in the days when people were very superstitious and believed that when you sneezed it opened up your body and demons could enter at the exact moment of the sneeze, so people would say "God bless you" to keep the demons away.
2007-11-17 23:21:31 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
long time ago some people used to die because of sneezes.. don't ask me why but I heard this so many times so I'm guessing its true.. anyway after they died they said God Bless You or just Bless You xP I think its a custom to say that to people once they sneeze or something because its been around for so long lol hope that helped x)
2007-11-17 23:21:24 · answer #4 · answered by ♪~♦ Eternal Stream ♦~♫ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the middle ages, people didn;t know hardly anything about bodily functions. They thought that your body was trying to expel evil spirits or demons when they sneezed. People said "God bless you" as a short prayer for you. It just carried over through the ages.
2007-11-17 23:22:33 · answer #5 · answered by Drowning chemist 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because back in the day people believed that your spirit was leaving you when you sneezed, so saying bless you was a way to protect you from evil spirits coming in and taking over from where your spirit left off..
And no, your heart does not stop when you sneeze contrary to popular belief.
2007-11-17 23:21:01 · answer #6 · answered by deYoung 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Your heart basically stops when you are sneezing. That is why I say, God Bless you.
2007-11-17 23:21:29 · answer #7 · answered by That one 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because some idiots hundreds of years ago believed that when you sneezed, you let the devil in. Its all superstition. Thats why we say bless you. People now say its cause your heart skips a beat (which it does) but that is not the ORIGINAL origin.
2007-11-17 23:22:03 · answer #8 · answered by Janis 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I had always thought that it stemmed from the days of The Plague. When people sneezed it was thought that they were starting the symptoms, so they were told "bless you" to try to save their souls or something like that. But... I have been known to be wrong! : )
2007-11-17 23:21:52 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It was believed that when you sneezed an evil spirit could get into your body so people would bless you to keep the evil spirits at bay.
2007-11-17 23:21:17 · answer #10 · answered by SlvrLining 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋