Do you believe in superstitions?  No, not the kind that scares you, such as a black cat or anything out of the occult.  We’re talkin’ superstitions that you may not even be aware of.  Read on…

Lifestyle
For example, some say that unless you usually urinate on your fingers, washing your hands after urination is representative of a superstition.  Or, asking someone their zodiac sign and then tailoring how you deal with/interact with them is also an example of a superstition.  However, what about those superstitions we do several times per day without even realizing it??

Let’s cut to the chase.  When someone sneezes, what do you do?  Hand them a tissue?  Offer them an allergy pill?  No!  You say “Bless You!”  Have you ever thought why?????

We’ve all been conditioned to say “Bless You!” to our family, our friends, or even a total stranger on the street, without ever realizing what we’re saying or why we’re saying it.  Some people believe that it’s just the polite thing to do and if you don’t say it, that person is going to feel as if you’re being rude and insulting.  Sadly, they’re not alone.  Plenty of people have been trained to say “Bless You!” immediately following a sneeze and, like robots, we’ve all fallen in line to do what we’ve been instructed to do.

In the world of superstitions, do you actually know the origins of the practice of saying “Bless You!” after a sneeze?  Read on…

“Bless You!” is the shortened version of “God Bless You,” which was said to those in ancient times who suffered coughing and sneezing symptoms from the plague. Pope Gregory I (Gregory the Great) suggested saying “God Bless You!” after a person sneezed in hopes that the prayer would protect a sneezer from certain death. “Bless you!” was intended as a benediction to the nearly-departed as a way of commending his soul to the care of God. However, the expression was also rooted in other strange superstitions.

During ancient times, some people believed a man’s soul was inadvertently thrust from his body by an explosive sneeze.  So, saying “Bless you!” was a protective oath uttered to safeguard the temporarily expelled and vulnerable soul from being snatched up by a lurking Satan.  The purpose of the blessing was to cast a temporary shield over the flung-out soul in order to defend it just long enough for it to regain the protection of the corporeal body.

Centuries ago, some others believed a sneeze was the expulsion of a demon or evil spirit which had taken up residence in a person. Therefore, saying “Bless you!” was a protective charm meant to protect the sneezer from evil and ward off the re-entry of an evil spirit which a tormented soul had just rid itself of.

Still, others believed that the heart momentarily stopped during a sneeze (it doesn’t), making the phrase “Bless you!” a tool to restart a stalled heart.  Even others bought into the superstitions that sneezes were lucky or the prediction of good fortune coming the sneezer’s way.  To them, “Bless you!” was the recognition of incoming good luck and an attempt on the blesser’s part to attract a bit of luck to himself.

So to recap, when we say “Bless you!” following a sneeze, do we honestly think we are protecting a sneezer from evil spirits? Are we fending off the Devil himself?  Are we congratulating the person on some impending good luck, or commending their souls to God under the notion that a sneeze is a sign of imminent death?

Of course not!  None of the above!!

Lifestyle
Saying “Bless you!” to someone after a sneeze is not only completely unnecessary but has absolutely, positively no real relevance whatsoever.  It’s simply an old wives tale/superstition that we’ve all inadvertently perpetuated simply because someone once told us to.  If you want to bless someone, fine.  However, you don’t need to wait until they sneeze to do it.

So, now that you actually know the ancient history behind the superstition of saying “Bless you!” after a sneeze,  you now know that you’ve been being silly and merely following a conditioning passed down from generation to generation without ever stopping to think about why you were doing it.

Silly, right?  Or, are you so deeply conditioned that you will continue saying it even though you now know better??  What other superstitions could you be following without even realizing it???

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