It is an old custom in Zagreb to put a black flag on a building when someone from it dies. This holds for both private and public buildings. People here often joke that the Academy of Arts and Sciences can rarely be seen without a black flag drooping from its balcony. Indeed, there is one on the Academy’s building right now. There is another one on the balcony of the Croatian National Theater. Today I saw one on a courthouse in the center of the Croatian capital. Another one appeared a few days ago on one of the squares nearby. In fact, there are so many black flags around at the moment that it appears that there is some connection between the change of season and death. It would not surprise me, either. If this is the case, the next outbreak of black flags could be expected in about six months.