2. Saying Bless You In Response To A Sneeze
The Tradition Today: Essentially, the only time when saying bless you is acceptable of somebody who is not the Pope is when somebody in your vicinity sneezes. It makes no objective sense, but people seem to get unduly offended when you dont.
Where It Came From: Turns out, theyve sort of got a right to offense. Back in the days of medieval Europe, sneezing wasnt an innocent sign of spring allergies or the sniffles: no, they were a telltale hallmark of the rather more severe bubonic plague. The plague prompted Pope Gregory I to order prayers and blessings through the streets in an effort to curb the dreadful disease. So, since sneezing was like announcing your own death sentence to the world, the populace was ordered to say God bless you, to help you out with the whole plague deal of course, you would still die horribly, but, hey, at least its a chance to curry some favour for the afterlife! Alternatively, sneezing, like the aforementioned yawning, has been historically associated with the transmission of Satanic forces and/or your soul, from which the phrase God bless you is protection.