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.
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."
