Who Closed the Windows?

Curitiba is a windy city. There are winter nights when the wind whistles through our closed windows, rattling the roll-down window shades, which are quite effective at blocking out light, but not so efficient at silencing the howling wind. I have even seen our curtains swaying in the breeze with closed windows. Sometimes the wind's song is so loud it wakes me up. My wife tells me the wind is fierce because we live on the tenth floor of a building located on top of a hill.

Geography experts, however, have a different explanation. They say the Curitiba winds come from the city's plateau configuration, which is situated at 1,000 meters altitude between two mountain ranges. It's conceivable that life at 1,000 meters might require some adjustment although I haven't had any symptoms of vertigo. What I notice is the wind.

I have my own theory on Curitiba's breezes that is more mythical than geographical – no matter what the temperature is outside, people keep their windows open. The air is blowing off the mountains and right through our homes, offices, and restaurants. Why would people keep their windows open when it's cold outside?

In a tropical country, it makes sense to have windows open when it's warm. However, in Curitiba, where winter temperatures frequently drop below 50 at night, open windows seem an unnecessary extravagance to me. Even people like my wife, who has lived in Curitiba all her life, complain about the winter cold, yet nobody makes the connection between open windows and a cold apartment.

The first time I met this phenomenon of open-window winters was with my mother-in-law. She is 81 years old and weighs 90 lbs. on a good day, thus lacking the personal resources to battle windy conditions and falling temperatures. There she was one August afternoon in her apartment buried under three sweaters and two blankets with the windows open. I closed the windows and rolled my eyes at my wife, concerned that her mother might be showing signs of senility.

Rather, my wife rose to her mother's defense, as any good daughter would, explaining that the windows were open on purpose. I asked, “Is your mother trying to give herself pneumonia?” My wife patiently explained that open windows were necessary because people believe with the windows closed they were more susceptible to illness. My mother-in-law's opinion on the subject was very clear: “Open windows refresh the air.”

Later, when we were alone I brought the subject up again, desperate to find the logic in this behavior. It was then I learned it was just my family who was crazy. My wife noted that until recently, government offices and taxis and buses had signs asking people to leave the windows open at all times.

Eager to understand the origins of this un-American activity, I spoke to a Brazilian doctor. He told me the custom of leaving windows open in winter originated a century ago when fatal airborne illnesses were transmitted among strangers. He mentioned bacterial meningitis, which occurs most frequently in Brazil and sub-Saharan Africa and can be fatal. With groups of people congregating in small spaces such as a restaurant or a bus, it is wise to keep the air circulating. The bacteria that cause meningitis are spread by close contact with discharges from the nose or throat of an infected person. I was impressed that a custom from decades ago persisted today, and wondered if there was a connection to the country's rural past. He noted that some airborne diseases such as tuberculosis, which no longer exist in the US, are still seen occasionally in Brazil.

The occurrence of meningitis, he continued, is dropping today thanks to antibiotics, and there is no reason to keep windows open when it's cold, especially inside your own apartment, where it is unlikely you will be crowded into your kitchen with a mob of strangers who have meningitis. He suggested the open-winter windows habit persisted today possibly because people were equating swine flu with meningitis and tuberculosis.

One blustery morning in winter, I was exercising at my gym. Standing in front of an open window, I shivered against a strong wind. I assumed the windows were open because people sweat in the gym. I glanced over at the two young women working at the front desk. They were huddled together for warmth, sipping coffee and wearing scarfs and gloves and leg warmers.

I asked the two girls why they didn't close the windows. I was expecting to hear the windows were left open for the comfort of the sweating customers. Instead, the girls said they had to keep the windows open “to refresh the air.” That sounded familiar. They said they were guarding against the spread of gripe (flu). I asked if they thought many people with the flu were coming to the gym. The girls were well-trained in the practice of open windows and refused to listen.

While many habits are difficult to break, I didn't expect to hear the same reasoning from girls in their twenties as I'd heard from my mother-in-law. On the other hand, it wouldn't surprise me if some of these girls live with their 80-year-old grandmothers and pay attention to their advice. The lessons of their grandmothers are more important than the inconvenience of wearing gloves indoors, and certainly more valuable than the bizarre advice of a foolish American.