“Južina?” my boss asked me when my productivity level was low. He was referring to the southeastern jugo wind (scirocco) that is known to make Dalmatians grumpy, slow and depressed. My boss forgave me because of a particular wind blowing past my window!

Jugo wind is a strong southeastern wind that blows onto the Adriatic shores from the Sahara desert of Africa. The Jugo is a low pressure, warm wind, not as strong as the villainous Bura, but causes high and choppy waves with cloudy showering skies.

I cannot tell you the scientific background for this wind mood manipulation phenomenon but supposedly it’s to do with an imbalance of ions in the air causing low pressure in our brains. Nonetheless, jugo is blamed for everything; from low productivity, headaches, mental breakdowns, and a broken leg.

If you are having a bad day, a local will justify it with, “To ti je jugo” (It’s the jugo wind) or you will hear elderly complain about back pain and blaming the jugo wind for it.

In the old Republic of Dubrovnik, no laws were passed while jugo was blowing as it was believed to tamper in ones judgment. Additionally, criminals at this time have been pardoned for even murder if they committed their crime during jugo. Sadly, but true in some institutions, mentally impaired patients are tied up during jugo to protect themselves and others should they have a meltdown.

If you find yourself and others in an oddly depressed mood, then “the answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.”