IUPPITER TE SERVET

When someone sneezed in pre-Christian Rome, nearby people would snap their fingers to keep the spirit out of their own bodies, and say "Iuppiter preserve you" aka “Jupiter/Father Jove preserve you” to keep the spirit from reentering the sneezer. At some point past the 3rd century CE "Jupiter preserve you" changed to "God bless you."

IUPPITER TE SERVET: Father Jove preserve you! The sneezing, sniffling, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever, so you-can-rest blessing!

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