“Salud, Dinero, y Amor”

My informant first heard this phrase at the age of ten when her mother responded to her first sneeze with “salud,” her second sneeze with “dinero,” and her last sneeze with “y amor.”  She learned the phrase growing up in a rural town of Chihuahua, Mexico.  She recalls her mother saying this to her every time she had a series of sneezes during her childhood.

The three terms (salud meaning good health, dinero meaning money, and amor meaning love) are a sign of wishing good tidings upon someone during everyday happenings, such as the common sneeze.  She continued by explaining that these three assets will “make you a happy person,” and that these are three very crucial pieces that are needed to live a blissful life.

The situation I first heard this proverb spoken to me was when I stumbled across some dust, resulting in me sneezing multiple times.  After the first sneeze she said, “Salud,” after the second, “Dinero,” and the third, “y Amor.”

Alejandrina informed me that the context in which this saying is used is whenever someone has a chain of sneezes that they can’t stop.  It stems from the idea that your heart stops every time you sneeze, so with each time your heart stops, someone is wishing good things upon you.