Answer to 'God bless you'?

My usual answer is "Thanks."

You know something, Ana, I have no idea why people say "God bless you", or just "Bless you," after a sneeze! So I had to look it up:

"In English-speaking countries, it is common for at least one person to say "Bless you" after someone sneezes. The traditional explanation for the custom is that it began literally as a blessing. Pope Gregory I the Great (540-604 AD) ascended to the Papacy just in time for the start of the plague in 590 AD (his successor succumbed to it). To combat the plague Gregory ordered litanies, processions and unceasing prayer for God's intercession. When someone sneezed, they were immediately blessed ("God bless you!") in the hope that they would not subsequently develop the plague.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sneeze

Some believe it is because when someone sneezes his heart stops and saying "God bless you" means "I'm glad your heart started again."

According to Millhouse on the Simpsons: When you sneeze your soul tries to escape and saying "God bless you" crams it back in.

During the sixth century, it was customary to congratulate people who sneezed because they were expelling evil from their bodies. Later, when a great plague took hold of Europe, and people began sneezing violently, the Pope passed a law. Since sneezing meant that the person was going to die of plague, people were required to bless the sneezer."

From http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question65977.html

Some people say "Gesundheit" instead of "Bless you." Has anyone heard that one?

Regards

Olá Henry,

O engraçado é que coincide com o português "obrigado".

'Atxim' >>'Saúde' >>'Obrigado'
'Achoo'>>'Bless you' 'Thanks'

*Quem espirra pode dizer "Excuse me!"Já ouvi uma história dizendo que "Bless you" é dito porque na idade média acreditava-se que a alma de quem espirrava poderia sair junto com o espirro.Com isso "(God) bless you" poderia ser um atenuante.

Boa sorte!

Olá Donay

We are in a sneezing crisis here.

Just today, I received a news bulletin from the City of Toronto with information about various city services available to residents. Somewhere in the middle of this bulletin there's an article about H1N1, with an accompanying advertising telling everybody to "Do the Sleeve Sneeze." (Espirrar na manga, se não tiver um lenço.)

Then I opened today's Toronto Star newspaper only to find an article entitled "Does H1N1 mean the end of the handshake?" (O H1N1 significa o fim do aperto de mão?)

God bless us all.

I had a visitor from France yesteday here at the office, and she was saying that it have been strongly recommended in her country not to kiss one's face anymore, not even give handshakes. So Frenchs are all saying that they have to become more "British" (just wave your hand and say hello).

Here in Brazil, both people and media have "forgotten" H1N1 during the last days. Reason: 2016 Olimpic Games
It's natural to substitute any polemic for any "great" new.
Reading the most popular newspapers and magazines here in SP (Isto é, Estadão, Folha), I'm sure there's much less information about H1N1 than about the Olimpics (not to say that there's no information about h1n1 at all).

Hi Henry,

Here in Brazil(Goiás) people aren´t that worried about it but there is some criticism regarding the fact this "swine flu" might be just an invention.The handshake isn´t at risk around here,especially when you pay your bills...


Regards,