Why people say GOD BLESS YOU when u sneeze?

This question used to bug me so much that i had to write an article on this. Woooo its been almost a year and half , i have been using this and finally needed som research to pen this down.
well i cannot imagine, how intense the response will be for this article from my friends.

First time i heard this from my brother-in-law , might be the 1st week of my arrival in the US.
Wow great memory ha! remembering the first time u sneeze in the USA??LOL.. I juss dint understand why he said this! GOD BLESS U!may be i thought he was talkking to somone else.. :-)
Since it was august, its getting colder out there and my sneezing dint stop..i was sneezing in the library, in the class, in the lab, at the cafeteria, in side , outside, anywhere i go , i was sneezing , sneezing and more sneezing..Oh no! i am making a real mess with my article..sounds disguisting for myself,May be it sounds even worse to the readers..A big SORRY for alll of u.. So plz maintain distance with my article or else u'll catch cold..

So my point is that im getting a lot of GODBLESSU's from many people. Thought for a second about india! Getting ass kicked by people for a sneeze before they start any work. How mean???what a people americans are? a blessing for a sneeze?Man i wish i catch cold all thru the year and recieve more n more blessings :-)

Now lets discuss about the sound!

Some common English onomatopoeias for the sneeze sound are "achoo", "atchoo", "achew!", and "atisshoo", with the first syllable corresponding to the sudden intake of air, and the second to the sound of the sneeze.

A similar linguistic approach has been taken with several other languages; in French, the sound "Atchoum!" is used; in German "Hatschie!"; in Polish, "Apsik!"; in Turkish, "Hapşu!"; and in Japanese, "Hakushou!". In Cypriot Greek, the word is "apshoo", incidentally also the name of a village, which is the cause of much mirth.

Ok now getting into the matter ..or else my aim in writing this article is THE REASON..

Why?
In English-speaking countries, a common response to a sneeze by those around it is "God bless you", or more commonly just "Bless you". The origins and purpose of this tradition are unknown, and several competing explanations have been proposed over time, with the majority focusing on the idea of preventing the soul from departing one's body. Today, it is said mostly in the spirit of good manners. In various other cultures, words referencing health or good health are used instead of "Bless you".


Beliefs and Cultural Aspects

In Indian culture, it has been a common superstition that a sneeze taking place before the start of any work as a sign of impending bad interruption. It was thus customary to pause in order to drink water or break any work rhythm before resuming the job at hand in order to prevent any misfortune from occurring.

In Hellenistic cultures of Classical Antiquity, sneezes were believed to be prophetic signs from the gods. In 410 BC, for instance, the Athenian general Xenophon gave a dramatic oration exhorting his fellow soldiers to follow him to liberty or to death against the Persians. He spoke for an hour motivating his army and assuring them of a safe return to Athens until a soldier underscored his conclusion with a sneeze. Thinking that this sneeze was a favorable sign from the gods, the soldiers bowed before Xenophon and followed his command. Intersting Ha!

Another divine moment of sneezing for the Greeks occurs in the story of Odysseus. When Odysseus returns home disguised as a beggar and talks with his waiting wife Penelope, she says to Odysseus, not knowing to whom she speaks, that "[her husband] will return safely to challenge her suitors"". At that moment, their son sneezes loudly and Penelope laughs with joy, reassured that it is a sign from the gods. Man is it not like WOW!

Anyways, taking into this historical beliefs lets use this 'GODBLESSU'or if u dont bellieve it lets assume it as a cultural manners, or atleast use it bcoz ur buddy has published a 250 word article in his blog at 8: 15 am, without having his breakfast. Man its 8 : 15 am, hurry up, i ve a class at 8 :30. I have to rush to school before Mr. Li kicks me out of the class.

Seeya guys.

aah

aah

aah

"Acheee"------ ( Oh This sound was not mentioned anywhere in the context,may be my style of sneeze) Man seems like i caught cold.

OOOh i heard u say

"___________________". what was that? reply on my blog

Thankyou folks,

Have blessed day!

Internet Outages Could Occur By 2010 As Capacity Stalls :

Booming demand for Internet services combined with insufficient infrastructure investment could leave the Web vulnerable to brown outs within three years, a study released Tuesday predicted.

Nemertes Research said Internet providers need to invest from $42 billion to $55 billion -- or 60% to 70% more than current plans call for -- to stave off interruptions to the digital economy that could happen if the 'Net bogs down. "The next Google, YouTube, or Amazon might not arise" if the situation isn't fixed, Nemertes said.

The problem, the group said, is that bandwidth usage is outpacing infrastructure build outs. While core fiber and switching/routing technology "will scale nicely," Internet access resources could soon be overwhelmed in three to five years, Nemertes said.
The trouble could be particularly acute in North America, the researchers said.
"Rather like osteoporosis, the underinvestment in infrastructure will painlessly and invisibly leach competitiveness out of the economy," said Nemertes.

Nemertes conceded that its study, in many ways, represents a best guess at what's happening with the Web. "The Internet is almost opaque to serious researchers, even those with the necessary technical skills, integrity and desire," said the group.

That's because commercial Internet providers closely guard information about usage and technology roadmaps. "Carriers and content providers refuse to reveal their inner workings," said Nemertes, adding that it's understandable that service providers are reluctant to reveal data that might undermine their competitiveness or compromise user privacy.

Nonetheless, "we conclude by urging content and service providers to cooperate with researchers in sharing data," said the study's authors. Nemertes also said Congress should consider tax credits to spur Internet providers to add more broadband capacity.

thanks,

Sreekanth