Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-01-19
SALUTING A SNEEZER
A CUSTOM THAT BELONGS TO EVERY
NATION AND CLINE.
There Are Many and Varied Answers
to the Question, Why Do We Do 1t
That Was Asked by PIiny Some

|
That Was Asked by PIiny Some
Nineteen Centuries Ago.
"Why do we salute the sneezer% ask
ed Pliny nineteen centuries ago. We
still ask the question, and one won
ders If Pliny could collect so many
ingenious replies as the ana Of the
twentieth century furnish.
In Cations 1883 edition Of 'The
Golden Legende" is an account Of q
| pestilence in Rome in the time Of Greg
DRY the Great from which many died
suddenly. I'm this manere, sOmetyme
snesying they deyed, so that when any
persone was herd snesying, anOne they
that were by said to hymn, God helpe
you, or Cryst helpe, and yet endureth
the custOme" AS Pope Gregory reign
ed in the sixth century Pliny's query
far antedates the explanation In The
Golden Legende."
In the Buddhist Scriptures, dating
at least $50 B. c., it is related that
Buddha, when preaching one day to
bis disciples, sneeZed, whereupon all
exclaimed: May the Blessed Lord
live! May the welcome one liver! thus
seriously interrupting the discourse.
Buddha said, Tell me, when a person
sneezes, if the bystanders say, May
you live will he live the longer or
die the sooner for it?' Certainly not,
lord" So he forbade them to say 1t.
But the people took offense because the
priests did not thus salute them, and
Buddha revoked his command.
The Talmudic tradition is that the
custom dates from Jacob. Before his
time man did not die Of disease, but
when his appointed time was come he
sneeZed once and was dead. Jacob pc
titioned for exemption from this law,
and his prayer was granted on condi-
ton that among all nations sneeze
should be hallowed by the words, God
bless you"
The Greeks traced the custom back
to the myth Of Prometheus, who made
an image of clay and wished to give 1t
life From the sun he stole reedful
of rays, and, Fastening back to his
statue, he placed the reed under it's
nostrils, producing a sneeze-a phe-
nomenOn we may at any time produce
by standing in the sun. At this sign
of life in his creation Prometheus ejac-
ulated a blessing and prayer for its
preservation, and this response 70
sneeZe has been handed down through
all generations.
Also in tue story Of the Shunamite
child restored to life by the prophet
Elisha do we find the idea that this
convulsive effort of nature Is the first
sign of life. THE child sneeZed seven
times, and the child opened his eyes"
According to Scottish folklore, u new
born child is under the fairy spells un-
til it sneeZes. Aristotle mentions the
practice of physicians who, when death
seems near, give medicines to induce
sneezing, hoping thereby to arouse the
failing faculties. Aristotle seems to
have given much attention to OmenS
Of sneezing. He says a sneeze on the
right hand brings good fortune; on the
left hand it betOkens ill.
In the Odyssey, when Penelope calls
on the absent Ulysses to punish wrong:
Telemachus then sneezed aloud.
The smiling queen the happy omen bless
ed
80 may these impious fall by fate OPP
pressed"
st. Augustine records that when the
ancients arose in the morning If they
sneezed while putting on their shoes
they immediately went back to bed
again in order to get up more aus
piciously and SO escape misfOrtunes
likely to occur during the day. If a
HindoO sneezes while performing his
morning additions in the Ganges he
touches his forehead, nose, chin and
cheeks with the tips Of his fingers and
recommences his prayers from the very
beginning. In illness sneezing is con-
sidered a good omen, sign Of return
ing health. Howell in 1859 said, He
that hath sneezed twice, turn him out
Of the hospital" Among the ancients
if any one sneezed directly after din
ner a dish was brought back and tast-
ed to avert misfortune.
The custom Of saluting belongs to
every nation and cline In Ethiopia
when the king sneezed those about
him saluted so loudly that they We're
heard and echoed through the whole
city. In 1912 De Soto had an inter-
view in Florida with a cacique who
during conversation happened to
sneeze. All his attendants bowed their
heads, opened and closed their arms
and saluted the prince with May the
sun guard you, shine on you, defend
you, prosper you," and similar phrases.
An Italian child's primer of 1903 says,
Being prompt in saluting any one
who may sneeze and returning thanks
to any who Oh such an occasion may
have wished you we'll"
An epigram in the Greek anthology
shows it was customary to say "God
bless you" The ancient Romans said
"Salve" The modern Roman of the
lower class says, "Figli maschr' (May
you have male children). The north
Germans say, Your good health" In
Vienna, "God be with you;;" In Ireland
the peasant says, "GOd bless your hon