God bless you

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 recommended response.

Origins and legends

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.

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.

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.

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.

Another version says that people used to believe that your soul can be thrown from your body when you sneeze, that sneezing otherwise opened your body to invasion by the Devil or evil spirits, or that sneezing was your body's effort to force out an invading evil spirit. 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 was not well understood at the time..

Another belief is that people used to see sneezing as a sign that God would answer your prayers or an omen of good fortune or good luck. In this case, "Bless you" would be in recognition of that luck.

Tibetan Buddhists believe a sneeze (like meditation, falling asleep, preparing to die) can provide a moment of "clear consciousness," when people are opened to greater understanding.

Linguistic and cultural equivalents

In many English-speaking countries, the German equivalent, Gesundheit (which means "health"), is used after sneezing or coughing.

When Russians hear someone sneezing they immediately say "будь здоров" (bood' zdorov: take care) or "будьте здоровы" (bood'tye zdorovi: be healthy), to which the sneezer will reply "спасибо" which means "thanks." 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. In this situation Russians often say "на правду" which means "to the truth."

In Afrikaans it is "gesondheid", which means "good health."

In Albanian, one would say "Shëndet" (Health) which means one wishes the person sneezing good health. The reply would be "Faleminderit" (Thank you) or "Shëndet paç" (Health for you too).

A common Islamic Arabic expression, said upon sneezing, is الحمد لله alḥamdu lillah which means "Praise be to God." In turn the person who heard the first person sneeze may respond with يرحمك اﷲ yaraḥamuk allah meaning "May God have mercy on you." Another common saying is "صحة" which means "Health."

In Canada, one says nothing.

In Chinese, one says nothing.

In Czech it is "Na zdraví" which means "To health."

In Denmark it is "prosit", shortened from Latin "pro sit tibi" = "may it do you good".

In Dutch it is "gezondheid", which means "good health". "Proost", similar to "prosit", is also used.

In Mount Uniacke, NS, one says "I'm sorry".

In Estonian, one says "Terviseks" which means "To health".

In Finnish, one says "Terveydeksi" which means "To health".

In French it is customary to say "À vos souhaits" (ah-voh-soo-eh) or "À tes souhaits," (ah-tay-soo-eh) which literally means "To your wishes." The particular one used depends on the situation. At the second sneeze, you then say "À vos (tes) amours" which means "To your loves." If the person sneezes a third time, it is then customary for that person to respond "Et que les vôtres (tiennes) durent toujours" which means "and may yours last forever."

In Greek it's "γείτσες" (geítses), literally meaning 'healths'.

In Hebrew, the appropriate response is לבריאות (la-bree-oot) which means "to health".

In Hindi, one says nothing.

In Hungarian one would say "Egészségedre" which means "To your health".

In Gaelic it's "Dia leat", literally meaning 'God be with you.'

In Italian, one says "salute", literally meaning "health." A rough translation reads, "Good health."

In Japanese one would say nothing but people believe that a sneeze means that someone is talking about them behind their backs or missing them.

In Kannada one says "Dheerga Aisu", which means "live long" or "long live".

In Kinyarwanda, one says "Kira" which means "blessings," to which the response is "Twese," which means "for both of us."

In Korean, one says nothing.

In Macedonian it is "na zdravje" which means "To health".

In Norwegian it is "prosit", as in Denmark. However, it is not as common to say it as in many other countries.

In Persian the phrase "afiyat bashe" is used which means "bless you". The reply should be "salamat bashi" which means "I hope you be healthy". In the capital city, Tehran, also it is common that the first time the person sneezes, the response is "Sabr Amad" which means 'do not rush your plans, and instead put it on hold'; For example, if you plan to leave the house, hold a few minutes, otherwise you may have an accident. If there is a subsequent sneeze, the response is "Jakht Amad" which means 'the plan that you had in your mind, was good, and you should proceed with it'. For example, if you had plan to get married, you should wait if just one sneeze, or go ahead with it if there are two sneeze. Also in Tehran, the expression "Khers Terekid" is also common, meaning "the bear exploded", meant to be as a joke.

In Polish it is "Na zdrowie" which means "To health".

In Portuguese, the usual response is "Santinho", literally "little saint", as an indication of blessing.

In Portuguese (Brazil), the usual response is "Saude" which, like Spanish, means "Good Health" or in literal translation "Health".

In Romanian, one would say "Noroc" (Good luck) or "Sănătate" (Be healthy), and the reply would be "Mulţumesc" (Thank you) or "Aşa să fie" (So be it).

In Sindhi one would say "Ub Chhutto".

In Sinhala one would say nothing but people believe when someone sneezes it means that they are being thought of or talked about.

In Slovak it is "Na zdravie" which means "To health."

In Spanish (particularly in Spain), the appropriate response is "Jesús" (Jesus Christ), as it is believed that when you sneeze your soul goes out of your body and when someone says "Jesús" your soul returns to your body. In Latin America, "Salud" is used, which like in German means "good health", or in literal translation "health."

In Sweden it is "prosit", and as in Denmark is a more obligatory response than in Norway.

In Tamil, one would say "noorais", "nooru" which is "100"; "aaisu" is "years"; thereby wishing someone to live a hundred years.

In Telugu, one would say Chiranjeevi, which literally translates to "live until eternity and also one would say "nooru elu aais" ; thereby wishing to live a hundred years.

In Turkish it is "Çok yaşa" which means "live long". The appropriate response is "Sen de gör" which is a second person imperative which translates as "See it (my long life) as well". Another response is "Hep beraber", which translates to "(We live long) together."

Fun alternate sayings

Here are some alternate sayings to use instead of "Bless you" or "God Bless You."

"Godzilla"

"You are so good looking" (From the 38th Seinfeld episode, "The Good Samaritan")

"Scat, scat, pussy cat, your tail is in the gravy." (After practicing this several times, it becomes easy and fast to say.)

"Scat (there) Tom, your tail is in the gravy."

"choo, bezzoo"

References

• Opie, Iona, and Moira Tatem. A Dictionary of Superstitions. Oxford University Press; Oxford, 1992. ISBN 0-19-282916-5