Bless You!

The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines "bless you" as an idiomatic phrase "said to someone who has just sneezed." I say, "Move over, Mr. Webster. That makes no sense."

We all sneeze. Most of us say "bless you" to the person who sneezes... even me. However, in recent consideration, it's kind of strange. Giving blessings to someone has sacred origins and now, any time someone spits and sprays snot into the air, we give them our sincerest blessings?! Now, I am all for doing what our culture considers polite; just read my blog about the importance of saying you're welcome. I do think it is equally important, though, to know why we are saying what we consider polite. 

The phrase "bless you" as a response to sneezing originated all the way back in the dark ages, when the plague ran rampant through Europe. As sneezing was a symptom of the plague, Pope Gregory I held the belief that blessing someone after they sneezed would protect them from further contracting the disease. Other accounts date the origins of the idiom back even further to ancient superstition. Whether it be one's own soul or an evil spirit exiting the body, pronouncing blessing was a way to protect the one who sneezed and everyone around him. No matter which origin story you think is more correct, I don't know anyone who says "bless you" with that much religious conviction.

If you look at other languages, some of their idiomatic phrases to the sneezing make a whole lot more sense. Here are a few ways other people respond to a sneeze along with their literal translations:

Gesundheit (Germany): "Health"

Salud (Chile): "Health"

Sănătate (Romania): "Good Health"

Viva (Portugal): "Live!"

Naz Drowie (Poland): "For health"

Afya (East Africa): "Health"

Obviously, there are some weirder idioms out there, similar to the ancient superstitions or based in cultural superstitions. "Health" makes sense, though. It seems like a casual "I hope you get better" if you are hoping they don't catch a cold or a "Stop sneezing on me when you might be sick" if you are addressing a person you don't know.  

All in all, its interesting to know the origins of such a common phrase and maybe to make fun of it a little bit, but such a common idiom is not likely to go away. If I said "Health!" to anyone that sneezed, I'd get a lot of funny looks and maybe a slap in the face if I kept doing it. Consider changing the normal up sometimes, though. Throw a "gesundheit" or a "salud" into the mix when someone is sneezing over and over again. It is important to be polite and give your well wishes to the nose-tickled, but still sometimes I will think about the strange ways superstition and religion still play a role in our everyday expressions. 

This week, I also published a performance video of True Colors over on my YouTube channel! It's great to be on Fall Break!