The winds of Provence, the region of southeast
France along the
Mediterranean from the
Alps to the mouth of the
Rhone River, are an important feature of Provençal life, and each one has a traditional local name, in the
Provençal language.
The most famous Provençal winds are:
the
Mistral, a cold dry north or northwest wind, which blows down through the
Rhone Valley to the Mediterranean, and can reach speeds of ninety kilometers an hour.
the
Levant, a very humid east wind, which brings moisture from the eastern Mediterranean.
the
Tramontane, a strong, cold and dry north wind, similar to the Mistral, which blows from the
Massif Central mountains toward the Mediterranean to the west of the Rhone.
the
Marin, a strong, wet and cloudy south wind, which blows in from the
Gulf of Lion.
the
Sirocco, a southeast wind coming from the
Sahara desert in
Africa, can reach hurricane force, and brings either reddish dust or heavy rains.
The Provençal names for the winds are very similar to the names in the closely related
Catalan language:
Tramontana (Pr.) = Tramuntana (Catalan)
Levant (Pr.) = Llevant (Catalan)
Mistral (Pr.) = Mestral (Catalan)
Winds in Provençal culture
The winds of
Provence, particularly the Mistral, have long had an influence on the
architecture of Provence. The
mas traditionally faces southeast, with its back to the Mistral,[1][2] and many Provençal churches have open iron grill bell towers, which allow the Mistral wind to pass through.
The traditional Provençal Christmas creche often features one santon, or Provençal character, holding his hat and wearing a cape billowing from the Mistral.
Traditional compass roses in Provence (see illustration, which shows Midi, or the South, at the top) have the names of the winds by the points of the compass.