The History Behind Saying "Bless You" (& If You Really Need to Say It)

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A close-up look at the history of this sneezing superstition

Co-authored by Bertha Isabel Crombet, PhD

Last Updated: March 5, 2025 Fact Checked

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Possible Origins

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Etiquette

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Alternatives

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In Other Countries

Whether you’re in a close group of friends or among strangers, if you sneeze, it will likely be met with a “bless you.” In fact, it can come off as rude and awkward to not bless someone after they sneeze in certain cultures–America being one of them. But what are the origins of this religious expression? Keep reading to learn the interesting history detailing the relationship between sneezes and blessings.

Why do we say “bless you” after a sneeze?

The exact origins are unknown, but some people think we say it because people in medieval times believed the soul and body separated during a sneeze, leaving the soul vulnerable. Another theory is that people used to believe sneezing caused your heart to stop, warranting a blessing.

Section 1 of 4:

Possible Origins of Saying “Bless You” After Sneezing

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To ward off Satan Saying “bless you” after someone sneezes could be rooted in the medieval belief that the soul was separated from the body during a sneeze. This brief period was thought to leave the sneezer extremely vulnerable, allowing for everything from satanic influence to demonic possession. Saying “bless you” was a way of protecting the sneezer in question and keeping the devil from entering them or hurting them in any way.^{[1]
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- Another version of this story features the sneezer already being possessed by a demon and sneezing in order to get rid of the evil inside.
  - A passerby saying “bless you” would shun the demon once and for all, forbidding them from re-entering the sneezer's body again.
- There isn’t any concrete evidence supporting these beliefs and they are more likely to just be rumors.
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To bring the sneezer back to life Another version of this myth is rooted in the belief that a sneezer’s heart stopped beating during the sneeze, so someone would say “God bless you” to start the heart up again. This may have been a common reason to bless someone post-sneeze during medieval times, as sneezing was thought to bring out the life-force from one’s body. In this case, the blessing’s purpose was to push the life-force right back in.^{[2]
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- Sneezing does send out tiny particles at speeds of up to 100 mph (160 kmph), but it doesn’t stop your heart.
  - When you sneeze, the pressure in your chest temporarily increases, which lessens the flow of blood to the heart. The heart makes up for this change by momentarily adjusting its rhythm— but it never stops.^{[3]
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As a prayer for those with the plague Some sources cite Pope Gregory I as the first person to participate in this religious custom. During the Roman Plague of 590, the Pope ordered everyone to pray to keep up morale. This included blessing anyone who sneezed by saying, “God bless you,” since sneezing was thought to be the first sign of the plague. By AD 750, saying "God bless you" had become a common response to someone sneezing.^{[4]
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- This origin story has been disproven, as this social gesture was documented centuries before Pope Gregory was even born.
- Roman philosopher, Pliny the Elder, made note of saying “bless you” after a sneeze in a 77 AD text, writing, “Why is it that we salute a person when he sneezes, an observance which Tiberius Caesar, they say, the most unsociable of men, as we all know, used to exact, when riding in his chariot even?”^{[5]
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  - The fact that Pliny the Elder didn’t know the meaning behind blessing someone post-sneeze implies that the tradition had already been around for so long that its origins were completely unknown 2000 years ago.
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As a reaction to a good omen Scholars of the ancient world propose yet another explanation for the popular blessing. In, “The Omen of Sneezing,” author Arthur Stanley Pease, writes that sneezing was thought to be a sign of divine intervention from the gods. For example, in ‘‘The Odyssey’’ by Homer, Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, sneezes after his mother finishes saying how hopeful she is that Odysseus will return home safely and get rid of all of her annoying suitors. She considers this timely sneeze a “blessing on all [her] words.”^{[6]
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- Scholar Elaine Fantham explained why the ancient Greeks might consider sneezing a blessing from the gods as it is totally unexpected and spontaneous, beyond our control.

Section 2 of 4:

Is it okay not to say “bless you” after a sneeze?

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Yes, it is totally up to you whether or not you say it! Although the expression has likely been popular for thousands of years, and is still very popular in English-speaking countries, its intended meaning has lost some significance over time. In modern days, it has become part of American culture as a polite reflex and little more. It’s totally up to you if you want to engage in this social custom, whether it be the less formal, shortened version, “bless you,” or the longer, religious version, “God bless you.”^{[7]
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- Although choosing not to say bless you should not be met with any serious consequences, it may rub sneezers the wrong way.
  - Moreover, the absence of the blessing and resulting silence after a sneeze may be considered awkward by some.

Section 3 of 4:

Other Ways to Say “Bless You”

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Get creative with your post-sneeze responses. If you’d like to try saying something other than the tried-and-true, “bless you” or “God bless you,” there are a few other unique options. You can say it in other languages, like German or Spanish, or you can come up with your own fun way to celebrate a sneeze. Here are some ideas:
- Gesundheit: This is another commonly used response in the United States, from the German word for “health.” This is largely due to the surge of Germans that immigrated to America in the 20th century.
- To your health: In many countries, a response to sneezing involves wishes of good health for the sneezer, so try cheers-ing to someone’s health the next time they sneeze.
  - In Latin America, the first sneeze is traditionally met with, “salud,” meaning, “health.” A second and third sneeze may be met with wishes of “dinero” and “amor” as responses, translating into “money” and “love” respectively.
- Zay gezunt: This Yiddish expression has made its way into English, especially among Jewish communities. It means “to health.” To make it fancier, you can also say, “tzu gezunt, tzu leben, un tzu mazal,” meaning, “to health, to life, and to fortune.”^{[8]
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Section 4 of 4:

Sneezing Etiquette in Other Countries

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Sneezing customs are different across cultures. Saying “bless you” is the norm in America and other English-speaking countries, like the U.K. In certain regions, however, like East Asia, saying “bless you” is usually met with no response, and a sneezer will typically only be acknowledged if they're sneezing a lot and causing genuine concern. Here are some examples of sneezing etiquette in other parts of the world:^{[9]
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- Spain: Drawing upon its Catholic foundations, Spanish people will respond with “Jesús” after the first sneeze, “María” after the second, and “José” if there’s a third, representing Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
- Israel: Jewish law has conflicting beliefs about sneezing, with some scholars believing it to be a good omen and others considering it an ungodly practice.
  - In modern days, it’s totally acceptable to reply to a sneeze with the informal phrase “laBri'ut” or the slightly more formal version, “liVriut,” both meaning "to health.”
- Iran: In Persian culture, a sneeze is associated with a reminder to stop and take your time when doing things. “Sabr” is an appropriate response, reminding sneezers to “wait or be patient.”^{[10]
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  - This sneezing practice is also observed in India, with the Hindi word being, “chheenk.”
- Russia: When you sneeze in Russia, the most apt response is, “bud'te zdorovy.”
  - However, when you sneeze in the middle of a conversation, the interrupted speaker will use a Russian expression that translates into, “I’m telling the truth,” playfully implying that the sneeze was a dig at the honesty of their story.^{[11]
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