# Do you get the "have a blessed day" invocation where you live (and are you bothered by it)? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 13, 2025, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667 "2025-12-13T15:48:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/61 "2025-12-13T22:15:33Z")
I see it as I’m a christian! Okay, say that then. I dislike being told to have a blessed, good, great day. It feels like command. What if I don’t? I can’t force a great day. I would like if the greeting or departure was Hey or ta or cheerio. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/62 "2025-12-13T22:20:44Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > If it did bug me I might respond “You have a best day, too!” I like this. The person who wished me a blessed day out of routine, or out of genuine kindly feelings, wouldn’t mind. The person who wished it out of passive aggressive Christian chauvinism, might be confused. I’d be fine with that. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/63 "2025-12-13T22:21:29Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > “[Namaste](https://www.google.com/search?q=Namaste&rlz=1C1UEAD_enUS1138US1138&oq=What+is+the+equivalent+of+%22Have+a+blessed+day%22+in+Hinduism%3F&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRigATIHCAYQIRiPAjIHCAcQIRiPAtIBCjEzODY5ajBqMTWoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&ved=2ahUKEwiQgZ6iyLuRAxVRL1kFHfErB4gQgK4QegQIAxAB)” in Hinduism Now that’s a good answer. Short and pointed. And polite! I’m gonna do it. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/64 "2025-12-13T22:24:03Z")
My response is always “and you have a rational one” most of them have no clue what that means. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/65 "2025-12-13T22:29:45Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > > [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > > > “[Namaste](https://www.google.com/search?q=Namaste&rlz=1C1UEAD_enUS1138US1138&oq=What+is+the+equivalent+of+%22Have+a+blessed+day%22+in+Hinduism%3F&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRigATIHCAYQIRiPAjIHCAcQIRiPAtIBCjEzODY5ajBqMTWoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&ved=2ahUKEwiQgZ6iyLuRAxVRL1kFHfErB4gQgK4QegQIAxAB)” in Hinduism > > Now that’s a good answer. Short and pointed. And polite! I’m gonna do it. IMO not really. The folks who say blessed day are very unlikely to know the word namaste. They are much more likely to recognize Allah akbar. I might adopt that one myself. With “, infidel dog!” tacked on the back if I think they’re aggressive as opposed to just kindly but clueless. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/66 "2025-12-13T22:37:35Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > More than that. “Have a blessed day” assumes you - and everybody who matters - is Christian. How so? I believe other religions have blessings. For my part, anytime someone wants to try to be nice to me, I appreciate it. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/67 "2025-12-13T22:39:54Z")
Blessed be is Wiccan. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/68 "2025-12-13T22:40:28Z")
> [@Jaycat.again](#): > > How so? I believe other religions have blessings. I can tell you confidently that between Dent and Iron Counties in Missouri (where I work and live, respectively), the number of people who practice a religion other than Christianity can probably be expressed in two digits.\* So when someone tells me “have a blessed day,” it’s a certainty that it’s coming from a Christian. \*Of course, there are agnostics/atheists here, but I’m talking about actually _practicing_ Muslims, Hindus, etc. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/69 "2025-12-13T22:41:43Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > Blessed be is Wiccan. On my town’s gossip & town happenings Facebook page, I posted a meme invoking a Blessed Samhain on October 31, knowing it would piss off the Christians. Boy howdy did they come through for me! One person said my post was “demonic.” Um, no, a holiday that existed centuries before yours – a harvest festival, no less – is not demonic. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/70 "2025-12-13T22:44:08Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I can tell you confidently that between Dent and Iron Counties in Missouri (where I work and live, respectively), the number of people who practice a religion other than Christianity can probably be expressed in two digits. I can tell you confidently that the Christians in those counties number the people who practice a religion other than Christianity in more than two digits. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/71 "2025-12-13T22:44:27Z")
Very, very true. Good point. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/72 "2025-12-13T22:46:42Z")
I agree. But people do judge. I judge, you judge. It can be innocent. Like you see a heavily pregnant woman you know she’s soon to be a Mom. But don’t ask when she’s due. It may something else, altogether. But you do assume… We’re billboards for who we are. I try strive hard to be beige, hidden and non-descript. Invisible is how I’d like to be. Alas, people see me. And make judgements. I’m ok with that. Up and until they confront. I hate the “have a blessed day” thing, as well. I just ignore and walk. I didn’t want to be there anyway. Oh and Do Not tell me you’re gonna pray for me. You ain’t gonna like my response. (no particular person here, just a random clerk or offensive church lady) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/73 "2025-12-13T22:50:22Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > I can tell you confidently that the Christians in those counties number the people who practice a religion other than Christianity in more than two digits. No, exactly two digits. Both middle ones. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/74 "2025-12-13T23:01:20Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Probably around the same as the tiny fraction of people who say “have a blessed day” specifically to rub it in the face of atheists rather than because in their mind “good” and “blessed” are basically synonyms. As far as I’m concerned, the majority of it is performative piety combined with internal denial that other people don’t share their beliefs. Or what’s that term they use in politics? Oh yes, virtue signaling. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/75 "2025-12-13T23:20:01Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > Blessed be is Wiccan. I would use that if I thought anyone would understand. Things are so very Baptist here, it would go right over their heads. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/76 "2025-12-13T23:50:28Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Figure out the equivalent of “Have a blessed day” in various religions. I’m an officially ordained [Dudeist priest](https://dudeism.com/), with an ID card and everything. I could tell them, “Abide.” ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2025, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/77 "2025-12-14T03:10:03Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Have a blessed day assumes that you are religious. and > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > More than that. “Have a blessed day” assumes you - and everybody who matters - is Christian. I would disagree. Saying “Have a blessed day” does not assume the recipient is religious, nor does it assign them a belief. A blessing is an act or intention of goodwill from the speaker, not a declaration about the listener’s faith. Offering a blessing expresses the giver’s posture, not the receiver’s theology. To: > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > When “microaggressions” was a popular term, this was a convenient definition and example, along with the insistence on “Merry Christmas”. Oversensitivity may also be part of what’s happening here. That’s not to deny that what you’re describing does happen, or that your reaction may be shaped by past experiences that made you more alert to it. But if that history is being applied as a blanket assumption to every instance, such as hearing “Have a blessed day” as an imposition rather than a goodwill gesture, then it may be worth reconsidering whether the interpretation fits the intent in each case. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > That said, I’ve never heard the expression from a retail employee here in Upstate New York. I have, rarely, but yes, in a handful of places in upstate NY. Well upstate NY is a relative term. I not only have no issue with it, and I do enjoy it and do feel it is a gesture of good will towards me, usually responding you too. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2025, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/78 "2025-12-14T03:23:57Z")
Considering the number of retail employees, bank clerks, cashiers, etc.I encounter who neither make eye contact with me nor say anything to me other than the price, I consider any kind of polite acknowledgment that they’re dealing with a fellow human being to be a victory for civilized behavior. And while I wouldn’t use that particular phrase as a farewell to someone, I can certainly force myself to at least say, “thank you, bye.” or something similar. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2025, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/79 "2025-12-14T03:33:52Z")
Yes, and no. When Sophia, her mother, and I were in the Spice Market in Constantinople and the vendor told me “May Allah find favor with you and your lovely family”, what, I was supposed to get all upset or something? Is that how things work in the world of adults? Huh! I had no idea! Someone saying “have a blessed day” (or any variant thereof, regardless of religion) is a reflection on them. My reaction is a reflection on me, however, and getting upset/irritated/bothered at such a thing would lower _me_ in _my_ eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2025, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667/80 "2025-12-14T04:27:20Z")
In the many decades since the civil rights and feminist movements, I believe that a sizable minority of Americans, perhaps even a majority, have learned that when it comes to racism and sexism the intentions of words and actions do not matter a fraction as much as their effect individually and societally. I also believe that does not necessary apply to the many other “isms” that are still fighting for even that minimal acceptance, and that religion is a particular blind spot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667.md?page=5)