Salud, dinero y amor…

Hi Dave, I love the articles on Learning Spanish, they’re fun and very practical. I just wanted to share that when a Latino hears you sneeze and says, “salud” then “dinero” then “amor” after your third sneeze–their wish is actually a blessing meant for you just like when you say “bless you” in English. Both are customs that have been passed down from ancient/royal times when a cold could kill you or could even be interpreted as a sign of evil possession, but today it’s meant to specify a hope/a wish/a blessing for what most people want out of life: good health, enough money and people to love and be loved by. Sometimes when you sneeze more than three times then they just keep repeating the blessing and I’ve seen people make up a sneeze to make sure they don’t just end up in the money part :)–it just expresses the philosophy that even though some may say that “money makes the world go around,” it’s not worth much without the other two…Sometimes they’re being funny and add all sorts of specifications of the three, but in the end it boils down to those three which is why this saying is expressed in novelas titles, movies, songs and literature throughout Latin America …It’s evident how much you enjoy the Spanish language and culture, thank you for the articles…Pura Vida.