Dear Sara,
Why do we say “Bless you!” when someone sneezes?
Fondly,
Joshua K.
Dear Joshua,
Different cultures have different superstitions regarding sneezes. In Western cultures, one belief held that the force of a sneeze could expel the person’s soul through their open mouth, right into the clutches of unseen evil forces. “Bless you!” or “God bless you!” was believed to keep these malevolent entities at bay (and hopefully give the soul time to get back where it belonged).
It’s In The Bag,
Sara Bellum, Editor-at-Large Buzzy Mag
