Saying ‘bless you’ has long been a common act of concern and courtesy. A third belief was that the heart would stop when you sneezed and so saying ‘God bless you’ would stop you dying. But they’re a pale shadow of Mongolia where they say ‘burkhan orshoo butin chinee sakhal urga’ (God bless you and may your moustache grow like brushwood). In some cultures, sneezing is regarded as a sign of good fortuneThe Romans weren’t so optimistic and replied with ‘Jupiter preserve you’. As to the response to children sneezing: in Kenya, a parent will say ‘kua’ (grow), or ‘kukua juu, chini kuna moto’ (grow upwards, it is hot below).

Source: Daily Mail June 12, 2020 21:00 UTC