[lit-ideas] "Bless You" (Was: Sneeze)
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2004 00:47:51 EDT
In a message dated 7/28/2004 5:07:13 AM Eastern Standard Time,
JulieReneB@xxxxxxx writes:
I'm curious about the African word for "blessing". In Hebrew, "Baruch"
means "blessing"
If you are curious why people say 'bless you' after other people sneeze,
below.
Cheers,
JL
-----
_http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mgesundheit.html_
(http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mgesundheit.html)
Why do we say "God bless you" after a sneeze?
27-Sep-2001
____________________________________
Dear Straight Dope:How or why did saying "God bless you" become associated
as an expression one says to another after the other sneezes? I've found some
reasons listed below, but, somehow, I don't think any of them are very
legitimate:
When someone sneezes his heart stops and saying "God bless you" means "I'm
glad your heart started again."
Saying "God bless you" when you sneeze keeps the devil from flying down your
throat.
When someone sneezes, say "God bless you and may the devil miss you."
When you sneeze your soul tries to escape and saying "God bless you" crams
it back in (said by Millhouse in an episode of The Simpsons). How about giving
me the Straight Dope? --Rob Amato, Washington, DC
SDSTAFF Songbird replies: If you've just sneezed, Rob, I think I'd rather
give you a box of Kleenex. The custom of saying "God bless you" after a sneeze
was begun literally as a blessing. Pope Gregory the Great (540-604 AD)
ascended to the Papacy just in time for the start of the plague (his successor
succumbed to it). Gregory (who also invented the ever-popular Gregorian chant)
called for litanies, processions and unceasing prayer for God's help and
intercession. Columns marched through the streets chanting, "Kyrie Eleison"
(Greek
for "Lord have mercy"). When someone sneezed, they were immediately blessed
("God bless you!") in the hope that they would not subsequently develop the
plague. All that prayer apparently worked, judging by how quickly the plague
of
590 AD diminished. The connection of sneezing to the plague is not the first
association of sneezing with death. According to Man, Myth, and Magic: The
Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mythology, Religion and the Unknown, many
cultures, even some in Europe, believe that sneezing expels the soul--the
"breath of
life"--from the body. That doesn't seem too far-fetched when you realize
that sneezing can send tiny particles speeding out of your nose at up to 100
miles per hour! We know today, of course, that when you sneeze, your heart
doesn't stop, nor will your eyes pop out if you can keep them open
(_www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_30 4.html_
(http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_304.html) ), nor does your soul get
expelled. What does get expelled are hundreds
upon thousands of microscopic germs. The current advice when you sneeze is
to cover your mouth with your arm rather than your hand. That way, all those
germs won't be on your hands when you touch the countless things you're going
to touch in the course of the day (don't tell us; we don't want to know).
There are many superstitions regarding sneezing, some of which you've already
listed. But here are some of my favorites.
Sneeze on Monday for health,
Sneeze on Tuesday for wealth,
Sneeze on Wednesday for a letter,
Sneeze on Thursday for something better,
Sneeze on Friday for sorrow,
Sneeze on Saturday, see your sweetheart tomorrow,
Sneeze on Sunday, safety seek.
One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a letter
Four for a boy.
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven for a secret, never to be told.
And lastly, a sneeze before breakfast is a sign that you will hear exciting
news before the end of the day. I assume you sneezed this morning, Rob,
because you've just been blessed with the Straight Dope. --SDSTAFF Songbird
--
Straight Dope Science Advisory Board
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