this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2023
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How/why did saying things like bless you or gesundheit start? And when?

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[–] radix@lemm.ee 57 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Off the top of my head, I think something in traditional European beliefs said that the soul was at risk of flying out of the nose when one sneezed. Hence people would say "bless you" in case you died and were at risk of otherwise falling into hell.

(Edit:) This vaguely supports my memory: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_bless_you#Origins_and_legends

[–] frosty99c@midwest.social 22 points 1 year ago (2 children)

"A sneeze is your soul trying to leave your body. Saying God Bless You shoves it back in."

I always say this as a joke. I'm pretty sure it's from the Simpsons, and not an actual historical belief. If you have any source that shows this an old wives tale or folkloric legend, I'd love to see it. That'd make it even funnier to me haha.

[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 18 points 1 year ago

I was told this explanation in the 1970s by someone who was told it in the 1930s. So unless Groening is a time traveler, it didn’t originate with the Simpsons.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/bless-you/ is a good read; the truth is that Europeans and Middle Easterners have been doing it for so long (at least 2000 years) that the reason is lost to time; now it’s purely tradition/cultural. Early writings record that it was done, but not why.

[–] Bloodwoodsrisen@lemmy.tf 3 points 1 year ago

Makes sense why my mom sneezes upwards of ten times in a row now

[–] sub_ubi@lemmy.ml 34 points 1 year ago (10 children)
[–] MrPoopyButthole@lemm.ee 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

My girlfriend says "bless you" whenever I fart

[–] Wollang@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

She sounds like a keeper

[–] sub_ubi@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago
[–] caseyweederman@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 year ago

Be the change

[–] CuttingBoard@sopuli.xyz 9 points 1 year ago

This guy I worked with used to say, "What happened?". He would always feign concern for the farter.

[–] kibiz0r@midwest.social 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] SomeAmateur@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I say bless you normally for sneezes and sarcastically for everything else. Farts, hiccups, burps etc. Peak comedy I know

[–] Zoboomafoo@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Well now I do

[–] OptimusPhillip@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Because the onus is on the farter to say something courteous. Because we, for some reason, decided that a involuntary, natural bodily function is rude.

[–] bingbong@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 year ago

involuntary

Speak for yourself

[–] BackOnMyBS@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago

"I hope you didn't just shit yourself on my couch. 😐"

[–] hark@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't know, but I wish it'd stop.

[–] regalia@literature.cafe 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yeah we should just blankly stare at them instead as they cover you in a mist of snot

[–] hark@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

If someone sneezes directly at me then the last thing I'd want to say is "bless you".

[–] Jimmycrackcrack@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Perhaps it'd be less awkward if we all say "fuck you" by convention instead.

[–] Wollang@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

I could get behind that

[–] TopShelfVanilla@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I use the German word Gesundheit. It means health. I will offer it for most audible bodily functions, though, not just sneezes.

That's funny.

I use it for all of those, but also if someone uses or words I don't understand or if they bite their tongue or anything similar. I successfully managed to confuse a lot of people doing that and it brings me great joy.

i dont know why but i always assumed it relevant/appearing around the black death in the middle ages

[–] squiblet@kbin.social 10 points 1 year ago

It's hard to say when it began, but it's a nearly worldwide tradition. Check out this page of different salutations:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Response_to_sneezing
My belief is that it's generally because sneezing in a sign of illness, and illness tended to be more dangerous centuries ago, before antibiotics and when many people had less access to nutrition, consistent heating, sanitation and so forth.

[–] Brkdncr@artemis.camp 9 points 1 year ago

Sneezing was a symptom of plague.

[–] slippery_salmons@lemmy.today 6 points 1 year ago

I always thought we should say excuse me like if we farted or burped. I do say that after sneezing sometimes.

[–] clockwork_octopus@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

You can say “Godzilla” if you want to

[–] Extrasvhx9he@lemmy.today 5 points 1 year ago

For bless you think it started because of the old wives tale that states that when someone sneezes, they skip a heartbeat or something similar.

[–] bjg13@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

It's because the demons fly out of you when you sneeze, and you need to be blessed to prevent them from getting back in, or so they thought back in Black Plague days.

[–] Wollang@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Also those are the only two I actually know, so I’d love to learn others

[–] President_Pyrus@feddit.dk 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In Denmark we say "prosit", Latin for "may it help". The funny thing is that in German they use prosit for "cheers".

[–] DBT@artemis.camp 2 points 1 year ago

Prost is cheers

[–] FaizalR@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago