Sneeze

[Lilrain]

Where do you think saying " Bless You" after someone sneezes came from and why do total strangers say it to you?

[Aggie]

To protect against the plague.

[Jozee]

I agree.

[Syble]

What Aggie said and there are others.

Actually there are several beliefs about sneezes depending on where you live and what you believe.

Some believed that our hearts stop when we sneeze, so we say “God bless you,” as thanks to God, for surviving.

Some people believed that a sneeze causes the soul to escape the body through the nose. Saying "bless you" would stop the devil from claiming the person's freed soul. Others believed the opposite: that evil spirits use the sneeze as an opportunity to enter a person's body.

There are more but I shall stop here. 

[Karin M Fichtner]

In our family, we always said, "Gesundheit", when someone sneezes....simply wishing that person good health. I kinds always thought, "God bless you", sorta did the same.

[East TX granny]

Growing up my parents never said anything so I didn't know anything about it till I was grown.  The first time someone said it to me I asked her what she meant by that.