Sub Section 01: Being Polite – Saying Bless You!

ACHOO – did someone just sneeze? Well, in that case, please say ‘Bless You’.

The practice of saying ‘Bless You’ was started by Pope Gregory I hundreds of years ago as a means of protecting or blessing someone who seemed ill. Similar to COVID-19, people those days were affected by the plague where sneezing was a regular symptom.

So here is how it goes:

If you sneeze, you must immediately say ‘Excuse Me’ or ‘Sorry’. You need to keep your nose and mouth covered and look away as you sneeze. Please read this post on fullofetiquette.com for more details.

If someone says ‘Bless You’ to you, you must immediately respond with a ‘Thank You’.

If someone else sneezes, you must say ‘Bless You’ and finish off with ‘You are Welcome’, when that person says ‘Thank You’ to you.

If you have any more ACHOO related questions, let us know at fullofetiquette@gmail.com.