Did you know why people say "bless you" when someone sneezes?
Why do we say "bless you" when someone sneezes, but no one says anything when someone coughs, blows their nose, or burps? What makes sneezes speacial?
Here are some common explanations where the phrase "bless you" originated:
1. People belived that the heart would stop beating momentarily when sneezing - but the fact it doesn't, thus "bless you" was uttered either as a supplication for life to return or as a congratulation upon its successful restart.
2. This goes back to more superstitious times when a sneeze was believed to separate the soul from the body. To prevent the devil stealing the soul the incantation "bless you" (short for God bless you) was uttered to release the soul from Satan's clutches and return it to its rightful owner.
3. It comes from the time of the Great Plague (also known as Black Death). As sneezing was one of the first symptoms, and it was obvious that person would die, "bless you" (or "God bless you") was a suitable thing to say. It was intended as a benediction to the nearly-departed, a way of commending his/her soul to the care of God that he/she was beyond the help of anything in the mortal world.
Every country around the world has its own way of wishing sneezes well. People in Muslim countries say "alhamdulillah", which means "praise to be Allah". In Russia, people say "bud zdorov" (be healthy). In China, people will say "bai sui", which means "may you live 100 years".
