Why do we say "Bless you" when someone sneezes?

Question

I am not giving thumbs down, I'm giving thumbs up :)

Answer 1

Bless you is a common English expression addressed to a person after they sneeze. The origin of the custom and its original purpose are unknown. In current practice, it is a socially obligated response.[1]

Several possible origins are commonly given. The practice of blessing a sneeze, dating as far back as at least 77 AD, however, is far older than most specific explanations can account for.[1]
One explanation holds that the custom originally began as an actual blessing. Gregory I became Pope in 590 as an outbreak of the bubonic plague was reaching Rome. In hopes of fighting off the disease, he ordered unending prayer and parades of chanters through the streets. At the time, sneezing was thought to be an early symptom of the plague. The blessing ("God bless you!") became a common effort to halt the disease.[2]
A variant of the Pope Gregory I story places it with Pope Gregory VII, then tells the common (though untrue) story of "Ring Around the Rosey" being connected to the same plague.[3]
A legend holds that it was believed that the heart stops when you sneeze, and the phrase "bless you" is meant to ensure the return of life or to encourage your heart to continue beating.[4][2][1]
Another version says that people used to believe that your soul can be thrown from your body when you sneeze,[1], that sneezing otherwise opened your body to invasion by the Devil [2] or evil spirits,[4] or that sneezing was your body's effort to force out an invading evil spirit[1]. Thus, "bless you" or "God bless you" is used as a sort of shield against evil.
Alternatively, it may be possible that the phrase began simply as a response for an event that wasn't well understood at the time.[citation needed]
Another belief is that people used to see sneezing as a sign that God would answer your prayers[3] or an omen of good fortune or good luck.[1] In this case, "Bless you" would be in recognition of that luck.
An urban legend states that you cannot open your eyes while you sneeze, or if you manage to your eyes will pop out.[5] The legend was tested by MythBusters who found no ill effects from holding eyes open during a sneeze.[citation needed]
In many English-speaking countries, the German equivalent, gesundheit (which means "good health"), is used after sneezing or coughing.
When Russians hear someone sneezing they immediately say "будь здоров" or "будьте здоровы" which means "be healthy", to which the sneezer will reply "спасибо" which means "thanks".[citation needed] Also, Russian and German superstition has it that if someone sneezes shortly after saying something, it is an affirmative omen in that something that has just been said is correct.[citation needed]

Answer 2

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!

We know today, of course, that when you sneeze, your heart doesn't stop, nor will your eyes pop out if you can keep them open, nor does your soul get expelled. What does get expelled are hundreds upon thousands of microscopic germs. The current advice when you sneeze is to cover your mouth with your arm rather than your hand. That way, all those germs won't be on your hands when you touch the countless things you're going to touch in the course of the day (don't tell us; we don't want to know).

Answer 3

I agree with the Wikipedia definition, especially: "sneezing was your body's effort to force out an invading evil spirit."

Because of all the links to Superstition, Omens, Evil Spirits and Religious Customs...True Christians avoid saying Bless you when somebody sneezes so as not to associate one's self with these beliefs.

Answer 4

I've always heard it is because in past centuries people believed that when you sneeze your soul temporarily slips out and you say bless you to keep the devil from taking it. This could be a load of crap, but that's why I've always heard.

Answer 5

One explanation holds that the custom originally began as an actual blessing. Gregory I became Pope in 590 as an outbreak of the bubonic plague was reaching Rome. In hopes of fighting off the disease, he ordered unending prayer and parades of chanters through the streets. At the time, sneezing was thought to be an early symptom of the plague. The blessing ("God bless you!") became a common effort to halt the disease

But no one actually knows.

Answer 6

i thought everyone knew this, but apparently not?

Your 9th answerer was correct inthat it dates back to the days of the bubonic plague. Sneezing was an early symptom of plague, so you would say "bless you" to ward away the "evil" spirits of the plague, a way of protecting yourself aswell, almost like crossing yourself.

listen to the words of the nursery rhyme "ring a ring of roses"

Answer 7

I read in an old book at my grandparents' when I was little that people say "God Bless You" to keep the devil from flying back down your throat after you sneeze. It said that sneezing "opens you up" to curses because you're not in control of yourself when you sneeze.

Answer 8

It goes back to the days of cough and sneeze transmitted of disease and is a abbreviation of "God bless You" in the hope you will not get infected and that person doesn't succumb to some illness.

Answer 9

During the middle ages when Europe was having a Plague epidemic, any person who got sick was expected to die to it. Therefore when a person sneezed, people said Bless You to say a prayer for that person and hope that it was only a cold and not the dreaded sickness.

Answer 10

Because when you sneeze, our hearts skip a pulse. So due to a skipped heartbeat, people may die (although the percentage is very very extremely low). Hence, we say that God blessed them that they're still alive after sneezing =)

In short, "Bless You" =)