Sneeze Responses

What to say if someone sneezes instead of God Bless You.

Humanists, atheists and other assorted non-religious people have a problem with sneezes. We sneeze just like everyone else. That’s not the problem.  The problem is what to say when someone sneezes that doesn't invoke a god we don’t believe in.

Bless you or God bless you is the idiomatic expression most often used in American English to respond to a sneeze. But since we don’t believe in gods or godly blessings, we don’t really want to say it. But saying, “gosh, I hope you aren't coming down with a cold and if you do, I hope you get over it quickly and in the meantime, please cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze to minimize disease transmission” is a bit wordy.

So what is a good heathen to do?  What can we say instead when someone sneezes? Have no fear, Wikipedia is here – to rescue you and provide some alternatives from around the world. (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responses_to_sneezing)  Now the problem with this list is that a distressing number of languages and places around the world use some variant of “god bless you” as the standard response to a sneeze.

The good news is that there are some really good options available.  Here are 8 of my favorites in no particular order. Feel free to choose one – either in English or in the original language – like the Persian one. You are welcome for solving this problem.

  • Albanian Shëndet (shuhn-det) "Health!"
  • Afrikaans Gesondheid "Health!" (note this is from the German of the same – and has many variations)
  • Bangla Jeebo "Live or live long."
  • Hawaiian Kihe, a mauli ola, or simply Ola "Sneeze, and you shall live", or simply "live"
  • Khmer ស្បើយ (S'baoi) "Fast recovery."
  • Ladino Vivas, or Crescas after a second sneeze. "May you live," or "May you grow" after a second sneeze
  • Luganda Bbuka "Recover."
  • Persian عافیت باشه (Afiat Bahsheh). "May Cleanliness/Purity be bestowed upon you or may it be for your health."


3 comments:

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  2. I've made it practice to not say anything, just as I not react to other reflex responses, such as flatus, yawning, and burping. :) It's only natural. Why treat it with any special attention?

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  3. You have such an interesting blog. Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed reading your posts. All the best for your future blogging journey.

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