Where does the phrase god bless you come from

We've all been there: in a room full of people, in a packed elevator or even walking down the street, when the sudden tingling urge for a sneeze comes on. That sneeze often triggers the "sneeze etiquette" -- a mysterious and silent message sent to the people next to you that unconsciously makes them say "bless you. Saying bless you is so ingrained in the American culture that if you sneeze and no one near you acknowledges, it creates a very noticeable, weird feeling. I guess you don't care that I sneezed," is how Elena, a woman from Orlando, Florida, described the awkward post-sneeze silence.

Good manners dictate that every sneeze should be followed by some variation of "bless you. But have you ever wondered why we do it other than the fact that mama raised us right, that is? Unfortunately, the true origins of this bizarre social convention are a bit murky. But there are plenty of fascinating guesses, and not surprisingly, most of them are based heavily on superstition. The most popular theory is that it originated in Rome when the bubonic plague was ravaging Europe. Sneezing was one the plague's main symptoms, and it is believed that Pope Gregory I suggested a tiny prayer in the form of saying, "God bless you" after a sneeze would protect the person from death. Another, more superstitious theory is that it stems from the ancient belief that a sneeze might accidentally expel the spirit from the body unless God blesses you and prevents it.

Where does the phrase god bless you come from

God bless you variants include God bless or bless you [1] is a common English phrase generally used to wish a person blessings in various situations, [1] [2] especially to "will the good of another person", as a response to a sneeze , and also, when parting or writing a valediction. Numbers , and by Christians, since the time of the early Church as a benediction , as well as a means of bidding a person Godspeed. The locution "God bless you" is used in Christian benedictions. Blessing is the projection of good into the life of another. It isn't just words. It's the actual putting forth of your will for the good of another person. It always involves God, because when you will the good of another person, you realize only God is capable of bringing that. So we naturally say, "God bless you. You invoke God on their behalf to support the good that you will for them. This is the nature of blessing. It is what we are to receive from God and then give to another. National Geographic reports that during the Roman Plague of , " Pope Gregory I ordered unceasing prayer for divine intercession. Part of his command was that anyone sneezing be blessed immediately "God bless you" , since sneezing was often the first sign that someone was falling ill with the plague. Some have offered an explanation suggesting that people once held the folk belief that a person's soul could be thrown from their body when they sneezed, [13] that sneezing otherwise opened the body to invasion by the Devil or evil spirits , [14] [15] or that sneezing was the body's effort to force out an invading evil presence. In some cultures, sneezing is seen as a sign of good fortune or God's beneficence.

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Many people have become accustomed to saying "bless you" or "gesundheit" when someone sneezes. No one says anything when someone coughs, blows their nose or burps, so why do sneezes get special treatment? What do those phrases actually mean, anyway? Wishing someone well after they sneeze probably originated thousands of years ago. The Romans would say "Jupiter preserve you" or "Salve," which meant "good health to you," and the Greeks would wish each other "long life. The exchangeable term "gesundheit" comes from Germany, and it literally means "health. It entered the English language in the early part of the 20th century, brought to the United States by German-speaking immigrants. Virtually every country around the globe has its own way of wishing sneezers well. People in Arabic countries say, "Alhamdulillah," which means, "praise be to God. In Russia, after children are given the traditional response, "bud zdorov" "be healthy" , they are also told "rosti bolshoi" "grow big".

Where does the phrase god bless you come from

No one knows why we say 'Bless you' after someone sneezes. We don't bless coughs or yawns or hiccups so there must be something significant about sneezing, it's just that we don't know what. There are several theories as to the origin of 'Bless you! Like many phrases for which there is no definitive origin, for example ' the whole nine yards ' and ' the real McCoy' , the guesses that people put forward as to their origin are many and various. For the most part the suggested explanations about 'Bless you! Top of the list, in the UK at least, is the idea that in Tudor England a sneeze was a sign that someone had the plague and a blessing was showing compassion for them on their way to their inevitable death. Ask any man in a pub in England sorry guys, it is always men and he will tell you "'Bless you! Well, it's possible, although the fact that sneezing isn't a symptom of bubonic plague must count against it.

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John Benjamins Publishing Company. The Emergent Psalter. For Spanish-speakers, a "salud" is quite acceptable. Use limited data to select content. The phrase appeared in America thanks to German immigrants. List of Partners vendors. Would we ditch the "bless you" altogether? Pope Gregory is said to have encouraged people to embrace these blessings during that doom-filled era. These choices will be signaled to our partners and will not affect browsing data. Crime and Courts 1 hour ago. For many years in the Middle Ages, people believed that when you sneezed, your spirit left your body for a second. Look up God bless you in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Baker Academic. The letter ends with the solemn valediction 'God bless you.

Some people believed that a sneeze causes the soul to escape the body through the nose. The expression may have also originated from superstition. What are alternatives to saying Bless You?

Some have offered an explanation suggesting that people once held the folk belief that a person's soul could be thrown from their body when they sneezed, [13] that sneezing otherwise opened the body to invasion by the Devil or evil spirits , [14] [15] or that sneezing was the body's effort to force out an invading evil presence. Counterpoint LLC. Good manners dictate that every sneeze should be followed by some variation of "bless you. Fact checked by Isaac Winter. Contents move to sidebar hide. The phrase appeared in America thanks to German immigrants. The Emergent Psalter. Baker Academic. Skeptic Magazine. Opinions are divided: some advocate for a quiet response, while others see it as an unnecessary formality.