question: How did the phrase "God bless you" after a sneeze become a thing, and why is there a word for it in every language?
comment: In some places it comes from superstition. In others, they wish you health because a sneeze may be a sign you’re about to fall ill. However, there isn’t a word or phrase you say after someone sneezes in every language. If I remember correctly, they don’t do that in Japan/Japanese, for example.
passages: In some cultures, sneezing is seen as a sign of good fortune or God's beneficence. As such, alternative responses to sneezing are the French phrase "à vos souhaits" (meaning "to your wishes"), the German word "Gesundheit" (meaning "health") sometimes adopted by English speakers, the Irish word "sláinte" (meaning "good health"), the Italian "salute" (also meaning "health"), the Spanish "salud" (also meaning "health"), the Hebrew "laBri'ut" (colloquial) or "liVriut" (classic) (both spelled: "לבריאות") (meaning "to health"), the Arabic "saha" (spelled "صحة", also meaning "health").
   Response to sneezing
  
  In English-speaking countries, the common verbal response to another person's sneeze is "bless you", or, less commonly in the United States and Canada, "Gesundheit", the German word for health (and the response to sneezing in German-speaking countries). There are several proposed bless-you origins for use in the context of sneezing.
  
  In non-English-speaking cultures, words connoting good health or a long life are often used instead of "bless you," though some also use references to God.
  
  In some Asian cultures such as Korean and Japanese cultures, the practice of responding to another person's sneeze does not exist.
   In English-speaking countries, one common verbal response to another person's sneeze is, "[May God] bless you". 
  
  Another common verbal response to another's sneeze is, "Gesundheit"; Gesundheit being a German word that means, appropriately, "good health".
  
  Several hypotheses exist for why the custom arose of saying "bless you" or "God bless you" in the context of sneezing:
  
  BULLET::::- Some say it came into use during the plague pandemics of the 14th century. Blessing the individual after showing such a symptom was thought to prevent possible impending death due to the lethal disease.
   "National Geographic" reports that during the plague of AD 590, "Pope Gregory I ordered unceasing prayer for divine intercession. Part of his command was that anyone sneezing be blessed immediately ("God bless you"), since sneezing was often the first sign that someone was falling ill with the plague." By AD 750, it became customary to say "God bless you" as a response to one sneezing.
   In Persian culture, sneezing sometimes is called "sabr =صبر," meaning "to wait or be patient." And when trying to do something or go somewhere and suddenly sneezing, one should stop or sit for a few minutes and then restart. By this act the "bad thing" passes and one will be saved.
   BULLET::::- In Renaissance times, a superstition was formed claiming one's heart stopped for a very brief moment during the sneeze; saying bless you was a sign of prayer that the heart would not fail.
  
  BULLET::::- It has also been stated that one says "(God) bless you" so that one does not catch the flu, cold, or any other forms of sickness.
  
  Other cultures have similar traditions:
  
  BULLET::::- In China, after a person sneezes they often say "百岁！" which translates to " may you live one hundred years!" the pronunciation is surprisingly like "bless you" in English. pronunciation: [Bai Sui]
   The practice of blessing someone who sneezes dates as far back as at least AD 77, although it is far older than most specific explanations can account for. Some have offered an explanation suggesting that people once held the folk belief that a person's soul could be thrown from their body when they sneezed, that sneezing otherwise opened the body to invasion by the Devil or evil spirits, or that sneezing was the body's effort to force out an invading evil presence. In these cases, "God bless you" or "bless you" is used as a sort of shield against evil. The Irish Folk story "Master and Man" by Thomas Crofton Croker, collected by William Butler Yeats, describes this variation. Moreover, in the past some people may have thought that the heart stops beating during a sneeze, and that the phrase "God bless you" encourages the heart to continue beating.
   In Greek culture, sneezing was widely recognized as a divine omen. In Book 17 of Homer’s Odyssey, Penelope speaks to Eumaeus in private about the suitors feasting in the halls of the king's palace, and how surely Odysseus will return and kill them. Suddenly her son Telemachus sneezes and Penelope laughed. A sneeze meant the intercession of the gods to make her statement come true. It was a blessing from the gods, connecting the sneeze to the "God Bless You."
  
  Section::::References.
  
  BULLET::::- Opie, Iona, and Moira Tatem. "A Dictionary of Superstitions". Oxford University Press; Oxford, 1992.
   In Europe, principally around the early Middle Ages, it was believed that one's life was in fact tied to one's breath – a belief reflected in the word "expire" (originally meaning "to exhale") gaining the additional meaning of "to come to an end" or "to die". This connection, coupled with the significant amount of breath expelled from the body during a sneeze, had likely led people to believe that sneezing could easily be fatal. Such a theory could explain the reasoning behind the traditional English phrase, "God bless you", in response to a sneeze, the origins of which are not entirely clear (see "Traditional Responses To A Sneeze" below for alternative explanations). Sir Raymond Henry Payne Crawfurd, for instance, the registrar of the Royal College of Physicians, in his 1909 book, "The Last Days of Charles II", states that, when the controversial monarch was on his deathbed, his medical attendants administered a concoction of cowslips and extract of ammonia to promote sneezing. However, it is not known if this promotion of sneezing was done to hasten his death (as "coup de grâce") or as an ultimate attempt at treatment.
   BULLET::::- In Muslim countries, after a person sneezes they often say Al-ḥamdu lillāh (Arabic: الحمد لله) is an Arabic phrase meaning "Praise to God". His/her companion should say to he/she Yarhamuk-Allah "May Allah have mercy on you." The sneezing person should say Yahdikum-ullah wa yuslihu balakum "May Allah guide you and render sound your state of affairs."
  
  BULLET::::- In Iran, it is common to respond to sneezing with the Persian phrase "عافیت باشه", which translates to "health", similar to common European expressions.
  
  BULLET::::- Indian culture is to respond with Krishna, similar to a blessing in western cultures.
   BULLET::::- In Slovakia, after a person sneezes, it is proper to say "Na zdravie!" which means "For health!"; a proper response should be "Ďakujem" which means "Thanks". This is also the case in Finland where "terveydeksi" means "for health". Likewise in Russian, "будь здоров" (bud' zdorov), translates as "be healthy".
   The practice among Islamic culture, in turn, has largely been based on various prophetic traditions and the teachings of the prophet Muhammad. An example of this is Al-Bukhaari's narrations from Abu Hurayrah that Muhammad once said:
  
  "When one of you sneezes, let him say, "Al-hamdu-Lillah"" (Praise be to God)", and let his brother or companion say to him, "Yarhamuk Allah"" (May God have mercy on you)". If he says, "Yarhamuk-Allah", then let [the sneezer] say, "Yahdeekum Allah wa yuslihu baalakum"" (May God guide you and rectify your condition)"."
  
  Section::::Culture.:Verbal responses.
   If somebody is sneezing, one may respond "[god] bless you". Because many people don't want to use a blessing phrase with religious context, instead the German term "gesundheit" is widely used. In German, "Gesundheit" means health, but is also used as response when someone sneezes. The same word is used in Yiddish, and thus came to be known also in the US. 
  
  The Concise Oxford English Dictionary lists the German word "verboten", defined as "forbidden by an authority". Weltschmerz, Schadenfreude, Brat, kaput, Weltanschauung. Another important psychological concept is "Angst".
  
  Section::::Examples in different languages.:Estonian.
   In Ancient Greece, sneezes were believed to be prophetic signs from the gods. In 401 BC, for instance, the Athenian general Xenophon gave a speech exhorting his fellow soldiers to fight against the Persians. A soldier underscored his conclusion with a sneeze. Thinking that this sneeze was a favorable sign from the gods, the soldiers were impressed. Another divine moment of sneezing for the Greeks occurs in the story of Odysseus. His waiting wife Penelope, hearing Odysseus may be alive, says that he and his son would take revenge on the suitors if he were to return. At that moment, their son sneezes loudly and Penelope laughs with joy, reassured that it is a sign from the gods (Odyssey 17: 541-550). It may be because this belief survived through the centuries, that in certain parts of Greece today, when someone is asserting something and the listener sneezes promptly at the end of the assertion, the former responds "bless you and I am speaking the truth", or "bless you and here is the truth", "γεια σου κι αλήθεια λέω", "ya sou ki alithia leo", or "γεια σου και να κι η αλήθεια", "ya sou ke na ki i alithia"). A similar practice is also followed in India. If either the person just having made a not most obvious statement in Flemish, or some listener sneezes, often one of the listeneners will say "  't is beniesd", literally "It's sneezed upon", as if a proof of truth – usually self-ironically recalling this old superstitious habit, without either suggesting doubt or intending an actual confirmation, but making any apology by the sneezer for the interruption superfluous as the remark is received by smiles.
   Contrarily, in Polish culture, especially in the Kresy Wschodnie borderlands, a popular belief persists that sneezes may be an inauspicious sign that one's mother-in-law speaks ill of their son-in-law at that moment. The same phenomenon is thought to correspond to daughters-in-law and their mothers-in-law. As with other Catholic countries, such as Mexico, Italy, or Ireland, the remnants of pagan culture are fostered in Polish peasant idiosyncratic superstitions.
   In Islam the Prophet Mohamad instructed Muslims who sneezes to say "الحمد لله" meaning “Thanks to Allah”, and whoever hears them say that should reply "يرحمكم الله" meaning “may Allah have mercy on you“, and the person who sneezed should reply "يهديك الله ويصلح بالك" meaning “May Allah Guide you to the right path and calm your mind”, and for repeated sneezes, they keep replying the same reply for a maximum of three times, by then the reply is changed to "عافاك الله" meaning “May Allah heal you“ and the replies stop. This act in Islam is called "تشميت العاطس".
   In Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian, prosit is a blessing used in response to a sneeze, in the same way the English expression "bless you" is used.
   Parallel beliefs are known to exist around the world, particularly in contemporary Greek, Slavic, Celtic, English, French, and Indian cultures. Similarly, in Nepal, sneezers are believed to be remembered by someone at that particular moment.
  
  Section::::Culture.
   In certain parts of Eastern Asia, particularly in Chinese culture, Korean culture, Japanese culture and Vietnamese culture, a sneeze without an obvious cause was generally perceived as a sign that someone was talking about the sneezer at that very moment. This can be seen in the "Book of Songs" (a collection of Chinese poems) in ancient China as early as 1000 BC, and in Japan this belief is still depicted in present-day manga and anime. In China, Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan, for instance, there is a superstition that if talking behind someone's back causes the person being talked about to sneeze; as such, the sneezer can tell if something good is being said (one sneeze), something bad is being said (two sneezes in a row), even if someone is in love with them (three sneezes in a row) or if this is a sign that they are about to catch a cold (multiple sneezes).
   BULLET::::- In Turkey, after a person sneezes, it is proper to say "Çok yaşa" which means "Live long"; a proper response should be "Sen de gör" which means "May you see too [that I lived long enough]".
  
  BULLET::::- In Telugu, a reciprocation to someone's sneeze is "chiranjeeva sataish" (చిర౦జీవ) which means "may you live long" (from Sanskrit).
  
  BULLET::::- In Japanese and Chinese entertainment, a character's sneeze frequently means that someone elsewhere is talking about said character by coincidence.
  
  Section::::Culture.:Sexuality.
   There is not a single word for 'thanks,' but the word "tenane" is used to show appreciation and is expressed through the clapping of hands. Men clap with their palms and fingers together, while women clap with their hands across each other. During meetings and conversation, sneezing is an indication of disbelief. On leaving, one would say "digai", which actually means 'you haven't gone for ever, we will see you again'. The person staying responds by saying "".
   BULLET::::- In Tamil, a reciprocation to someone's sneeze is "ஆயுசு நூறு" (aa-yu-su noo-ru) or "ஆயுள் நூறு" (aa-yul noo-ru) which, in direct translation, means "100 years-long life". It is a particularly endearing expression often used by elderly when a young child sneezes, wishing upon them good health, as a sort of blessing. Some may say "Dheergaiyish", meaning "may you live long", but that is more closely related to Sanskrit.
   The name "sumbel" (or "symbel") is mainly derived from Anglo-Saxon sources. For this reason, the ritual is not known by this name among Icelandic Nordic pagans, who nevertheless practice a similar ritual as part of their "blot".
   In New Zealand, nose pressing ("hongi") is a traditional greeting originating among the Māori people. However it is now generally confined to certain traditional celebrations.
  
  The Hanazuka monument enshrines the mutilated noses of at least 38,000 Koreans killed during the Japanese invasions of Korea from 1592 to 1598.
  
  The septal cartilage can be destroyed through repeated nasal inhalation of drugs such as cocaine. This, in turn, can lead to more widespread collapse of the nasal skeleton.
   In addressing "djang" spirits (see below) a special language called "kundangwok" , which is specific to each particular clan, must be employed.
  
  Section::::Social groupings according to dialect.
  
presuppositions: Saying "God bless you" is done after a sneeze in every language.
corrections: Some languages do not have a phrase for after a person sneezes, such as Japan for example. 
raw_presuppositions: Saying "God bless you" is done after a sneeze in every language. There is a word for "God bless you" after sneezing in every language.
raw_corrections: Some languages do not have a phrase for after a person sneezes, such as Japan for example.  There is not a word for "God bless you" after sneezing in every language.