Why would someone say "bless you" when you sneeze?

sweetspot

Why would someone say "bless you" when you sneeze?

I've been thinking about this for some time now. I don't say "God bless you" or even "bless you" anymore. Sometimes I say "Gesundheit" and other times I say nothing at all.

I read that the origin of the "bless you" format comes possibly from the middle ages when it was thought that your soul escaped when you sneezed leaving you open for demonic possession. The blessing was to prevent a demon from invading your body until your soul returned.
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" f! r1 t0 p( X& S, ~% aWe don't generally say anything if someone coughs or farts, so why say something when they sneeze. Well, except for a crude joke possibly.
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It ocurred to me that other non-Judeo Christian societies might have completely different responses to a sneeze.

裙裾下的风

如果打喷嚏，俺们中国人会说：百岁！

裙裾下的风

你们外国人是这样说的啊