ACHOOOOO....
WHY DO WE SAY "GOD BLESS YOU" WHEN SOMEONE SNEEZES?
Okay! writing about this might sound a little weird,but don`t you think the action doesn`t ring a bell??
We say "god bless you" when some one sneeze. The German say "Ge-sundheit," which means "good health". The Italian say "Felicita," which means "happiness."
Back then in the near and far East,people may clasp their hands and bow towards the person who has sneezed.
One explanation for this,has to do with the superstition.It is said that these customs began when early man believed that a person`s spirit or soul was in the form of air or breath and that it was contained in the head.
So a sneeze might accidentally expel this spirit for a short time, or even forever, unless God prevented it. "God Bless You" was an appeal to God to not let it happen.The act of bowing toward the sneezer was meant to say "May your soul not escape."
But there are some experts who claim that the custom of saying "God bless you" is not based on superstition.They believe it started during a great plague that took place in ancient Athens. A sneeze was often the first sign that a person had contracted plague.
The Romans practiced the custom of "blessing" and brought it to Britain. And when Britain had the plague,the people there said "God bless you" for that the same reason that the Athens had said it -
Of course,there are many superstitions connected with sneezing,including one that says different things will happen to you,depending on the day you sneeze. But unfortunately nothing happened to my cousin, only that I wish.
Anyways that`s #something I learned and relished.
Cupcakes & Hugs,
Okay! writing about this might sound a little weird,but don`t you think the action doesn`t ring a bell??
Yesterday I was usually bored,like always...that`s when the question caught me.
Late night,one of my cousin sneezed and instantly my sister did the honors of asking god to "bless her" and that`s when my little search in Google began.
SO WHY "GOD BLESS YOU??"
We say "god bless you" when some one sneeze. The German say "Ge-sundheit," which means "good health". The Italian say "Felicita," which means "happiness."
Back then in the near and far East,people may clasp their hands and bow towards the person who has sneezed.
One explanation for this,has to do with the superstition.It is said that these customs began when early man believed that a person`s spirit or soul was in the form of air or breath and that it was contained in the head.
So a sneeze might accidentally expel this spirit for a short time, or even forever, unless God prevented it. "God Bless You" was an appeal to God to not let it happen.The act of bowing toward the sneezer was meant to say "May your soul not escape."
But there are some experts who claim that the custom of saying "God bless you" is not based on superstition.They believe it started during a great plague that took place in ancient Athens. A sneeze was often the first sign that a person had contracted plague.
The Romans practiced the custom of "blessing" and brought it to Britain. And when Britain had the plague,the people there said "God bless you" for that the same reason that the Athens had said it -
Of course,there are many superstitions connected with sneezing,including one that says different things will happen to you,depending on the day you sneeze. But unfortunately nothing happened to my cousin, only that I wish.
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