APRIL - CHET
Across the Northern Hemisphere, April signals growth and boundless potential. Snowdrops and croci make way for tulips and daffodils. Trees stand adorned with fresh leaves, their green brighter than ever, while the earth releases the scent of spring. The days are warmer, longer, and filled with possibility.
In the Southern Hemisphere, April whispers of cozy nights ahead. Trees turn shades of amber and gold, and the ground is carpeted with fallen leaves. People gather around heaters and snuggle in blankets, sharing stories as the nights grow longer, preparing for the quiet of winter.
In Punjab, April’s arrival brings the beginning of Chet. As the end of the Punjabi year, it is a prelude to Vaisakh. Chet represents a period of preparation for the vibrant celebrations that lie in the following year. It’s a time for planting, refreshing the land, and readying it for the season of growth.
The fields, now free from the golden wheat harvested in Phagan, are tilled and sown with new seeds. Farmers prepare the soil carefully, knowing that every small act now will yield abundance in the coming months.
With the fields now resting after the winter harvest, Chet becomes a month of reflection for farmers and their families. They take stock of the harvest, ensuring that the grains are carefully stored, that animals are fed well, and that the tools are ready for the work ahead. There’s a certain peace in this rhythm, in knowing that each task plays a part in sustaining life.
Chet is also the time when Punjab’s countryside is renewed with life. The air is filled with the fragrant promise of summer fruit. Wildflowers spring up across fields and pathways, splashing the land with colour. The rivers, refreshed by melting snow from the mountains, flow swiftly, carrying the essence of spring into the heart of Punjab.
Villagers and city dwellers both feel the gentle warmth of the season. Families sit outdoors in the evenings, watching the sun set over the fields and savoring the quiet beauty of nature’s rebirth. In Chet, each breeze carries a whisper of the new year, and following harvest season waiting just beyond.
Chet is a month of quiet preparation and reflection, building toward the vibrant celebrations of Vaisakhi/ the new year, and dwelling on the past. A time for remembering moments that passed us, both of happiness, and of sorrow. Knowing that the following year will bring many more, some we wish to relive over and over, others we wish to skip. But every moment peiced together is what makes the year memorable, and significant to each of us.
Vaisakh, the month that follows Chet, brings with it the joyous festival of Vaisakhi. But before the festivities begin, Chet remains a month of focused labour and mindful groundwork, laying the foundation for a prosperous season.
In the cities, people begin their own preparations. Stalls in markets start to fill with fresh produce from nearby villages, and families shop for new clothes, traditional sweets, and gifts for Vaisakhi.
As April comes to an end, the world of Chet leaves behind a sense of balance and readiness – a feeling that the best is just beginning. And when the fields burst into life once again, the spirit of Chet will linger, a gentle reminder that each season has its purpose and that every new beginning is built on the quiet work that came before.
A depiction of rural Punjab in the month of Chet.
As the new harvest blooms and the Punjabi year closes off, may Chet bring new beginnings, happiness, and prosperity. With hope, Trish Saab