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Why do people say “bless you” when you sneeze? |
by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author
Around the world!
After a big burp, you might say “excuse me” to the people in the room with you. Or when you cough, people might ask if you’re alright. But why is it that -- AACHOOO! -- after you sneeze, people usually say “bless you”??
Nobody knows exactly when or why “bless you” began to follow sneezes, but we do know that people have been saying it for thousands of years! Most likely the basic idea behind it was to wish good health to the person who had sneezed, since sneezing can be a sign that a person is sick. It might also have to do with old myths, like the idea that a person’s heart stopped when they sneezed (which we now know is not true!) or that a person was releasing some kind of bad spirit through a sneeze!
Today, sneezing can still be a sign of illness, but we also know that it’s often just a reflex, such as with allergies. Many people now consider saying “bless you” more like a sign of good manners or a tradition!
Around the world!
People in different countries and who speak different languages have different ways of saying “bless you”! You might already be familiar with some of them.
Lots of people say “Gesundheit,” which is German in origin, but used a lot by people who speak English. The meaning of “Gesundheit” is, simply, “health”!
In Spanish word for “health” is also used (Salud!), while in Hebrew you’d say “la’briyut,” which similarly means “to your health”!
Do you know of any other ways it’s said??
