Sneeze and the whole world says, "Bless you!" Die coughing and no one says a thing. Why is that?
It amazes me how quickly people (even complete strangers) are programmed to say "Bless you!" after a sneeze. Since I am a multiple sneezer this has always been a bit embarrassing. I sneeze once and 20 people say "Bless you" ... but I'm just getting started. Those who really know me don't say "Bless you", they count, "One, two, three, four, ... ten, eleven ..." You've got to really hang in there if you want to bless me.
From wikipedia:
Bless you, or God 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.
An alternative expression to Bless you that is sometimes said after a sneeze is the German word Gesundheit.
A legend holds that it was believed that the heart stops beating and the phrase "bless you" is meant to ensure the return of life or to encourage your heart to continue beating.
1 comment:
I was also told that it was believed that the reason you sneezed was because of demons residing within you. People said "God Bless you" to help eradicate said demon from your body so you and your soul could be healthy again. Ehh...it's just splitting hairs really.
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