Summer

Blazing skies, ripening orchards, the season that opens the Bangla calendar

Summer, or Grishma, is where the Bangla year begins. Comprising of Baishakh and Jyaistha, from mid-April to mid-June, it begins with the celebration of Pahela Baishakh, the Bangla New Year, which is accompanied by open air fairs and folk music, giving the impression of a fresh page being turned in a country’s history. While according to the calendar, summer begins from April, Bangladeshis realize its coming much earlier when in mid-March the sun starts drying the rivers, canals and wetlands that will be flooded by the monsoon rains.

Moreover, it is the hottest month of the year since the temperature averages from 27 degrees Centigrade in the east and south to 31 degrees Centigrade in the west central areas of the country. Not only the month of hard climatic conditions but also the month of plenty. Mangoes, jackfruits, lichi, watermelons, guavas, pineapples and palm fruit ripen in the fields and rose, bakul, beli and joba blossoms in the gardens and courts making the heat of the summer easy to bear due to their fragrance and color.