Expression ” Bless you “ is addressed to a person who has just sneezed.

In the past, sneezing could be a good or bad sign, depending on the circumstances and the situation. From a negative point of view, it could symbolize sometimes the soul that left the body, sometimes the disease, sometimes expelling a demon outside the body, or conversely the devil who comes in through the mouth.

On the plus side, sneezing was also seen as a lucky sign : the Greeks also thought that the fact of sneezing revealed the presence of a divine spirit.

The expression “to your wishes” therefore means all that: to lavish his wishes for good health on the Other, to protect him from bad luck, or to congratulate him for the luck he has (since touched by divine grace) .