A map created by Preply, the online language learning platform, shows how you should respond to a sneeze in each country in Europe. From the classic Spanish “Jesús” or “salud”, to the English “bless you”: learn what you should say wherever you are.
There are maps for practically everything.
There are all kinds of them: some that show the wonders of the modern world most sought after by users on the internet or those that compile strange or unusual places; others that offer you the duration of time it would have taken to travel through ancient Rome, the dream trip through each country or if you live in a 15-minute city, to name a few examples.
Today it’s a new one, one focused on sneezing and how you should respond depending on the country you are in.
This map that you will see below, created by the online language learning platform Preply, shows how sneezing is responded to in each country in Europe. From the classic Spanish “Jesús” or “salud”, to the “bless you” of the English.
The most curious thing is that all these answers have a cultural tinge, as is logical.
In Spain, saying Jesus has a compelling reason: It was believed that when you sneeze, evil spirits came out. and, with the introduction of Christianity, it became associated with turning away from the devil. With “health”, on the other hand, it is used to wish that someone does not get sick.
The classic “bless you” from England means blessings and dates back to the time of the Roman plague, as The Pope ordered that anyone who sneezed be blessed to prevent the spread of the disease, as pointed out in La Sexta. In addition, it has another meaning: “God bless you”, something that also warded off evil spirits.
In France, sneezing is responded to with “à tes” or “vos suhaits”, which means “to your wishes.” In Italy, Germany and the Netherlands they use “salute”, “gesundheit” and “gezondheid”, respectively, which mean, once again, “health”.
Finally, in Sweden, Norway and Denmark the expression “prosit” is used in response to a sneeze, something that means “may it be helpful”, “blessings” or “may it be beneficial”.