Response to sneezing

Uncommon card · No. 122942

The response to sneezing is a customary verbal acknowledgement, blessing, or polite phrase uttered by a witness to another person's sneeze. The practice is widespread across languages and cultures, though its form, content, and the degree to which any response is expected vary considerably. In English-speaking countries the usual response is "(God) bless you", and less commonly in the United States and Canada, the borrowed German word "Gesundheit", meaning "health". In most non-English-speaking cultures with a customary response, the phrase used is a wish for health or a long life, although references to God are also common; in a few traditions, particularly in East Asia, nothing is typically said and the sneezer may instead excuse themselves.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions