BoliyanPunjabi boliyan with meaning · ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ
113 boliyan, tappe and folk verses for giddha, bhangra, weddings, Lohri and Teeyan. Every verse is in Gurmukhi and in Roman letters, with its meaning in English, and can be sent to WhatsApp in one tap.
Choose an occasion
- Giddha boliyanਗਿੱਧੇ ਦੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ8 verses · Boliyan for the giddha circle: old favourites that every Punjabi wedding knows, and new ones to try.
- Wedding boliyan and songsਵਿਆਹ ਦੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ ਤੇ ਗੀਤ14 verses · Verses for a Punjabi wedding: the jaago night, the groom's ghodi, the bride's suhag, the groom's chhand, and boliyan for the sangeet.
- Boliyan for family membersਰਿਸ਼ਤਿਆਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ10 verses · New boliyan to sing for the people you love: mother, father, brother, bhabi, grandmother, uncles and aunts.
- Lohri songs and boliyanਲੋਹੜੀ ਦੇ ਗੀਤ ਤੇ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ5 verses · Lohri is celebrated on 13 January around a bonfire, with groundnuts, rewri and popcorn.
- Teeyan and Sawan boliyanਤੀਆਂ ਤੇ ਸਾਉਣ ਦੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ5 verses · Teeyan is the festival of the rainy month of Sawan.
- Tappe and mahiaਟੱਪੇ ਤੇ ਮਾਹੀਆ8 verses · A tappa is the shortest Punjabi folk song: one small picture and one feeling.
- Children's rhymes and lullabiesਬੱਚਿਆਂ ਦੇ ਗੀਤ ਤੇ ਲੋਰੀਆਂ6 verses · The rhymes Punjabi children have always sung: kikli, the spinning game of little girls; a lullaby; a counting-out rhyme; and a song of joy for a new baby.
- Bhangra and Vaisakhi boliyanਭੰਗੜੇ ਤੇ ਵਿਸਾਖੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ6 verses · Boliyan with the beat of the dhol, for bhangra teams, Vaisakhi programmes and college functions.
- New boliyan: school, phones and funਨਵੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ: ਸਕੂਲ, ਫ਼ੋਨ ਤੇ ਹਾਸਾ7 verses · Boliyan for today, in the old patterns: about school farewells, teachers, mobile phones, selfies and the DJ.
- Baari barsi boliyanਬਾਰੀ ਬਰਸੀ ਵਾਲੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ12 verses · Short boliyan in the best-loved pattern of all: "Baari barsi khattan gaya si".
- Jaago boliyanਜਾਗੋ ਦੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ6 verses · New boliyan for the jaago night, when the mother's family carries a pot of lamps through the lanes before a wedding and wakes the neighbourhood with singing.
- Nanka mel boliyanਨਾਨਕੇ ਮੇਲ ਦੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ6 verses · New boliyan for the moment the mother's family (the nanka mel) arrives at a wedding, and for the friendly giddha contest between the nanke and the dadke.
- Mehndi, vatna and sangeet boliyanਮਹਿੰਦੀ, ਵਟਣੇ ਤੇ ਸੰਗੀਤ ਦੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ7 verses · New boliyan for the days before a Punjabi wedding: the mehndi evening, the vatna, the choora and kalire, and the dholki night.
- Boliyan for school functionsਸਕੂਲ ਦੇ ਸਮਾਗਮ ਲਈ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ7 verses · New, clean boliyan for a school giddha: annual day, Vaisakhi and Teeyan programmes, farewells and competitions.
- Vadhai boliyan for happy occasionsਵਧਾਈਆਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ6 verses · New boliyan of congratulation: for a new baby, a daughter's first Lohri, a new home, a birthday, a wedding anniversary and good news about a result or a job.
Old verses and new ones
Punjab's boliyan were never written by one person. They were made up at spinning sessions, weddings and fairs, and passed on by singing. This site keeps the two kinds apart: 21 traditional verses, given as they are commonly sung, and 92 new verses written for this site in the same patterns, about brothers and bhabis, grandmothers, school farewells and even the family group chat. Each verse says which kind it is.
If you are learning, start with what a boli is, then read how to put a boli in the giddha. Words such as nanke, banera and phulkari are explained in the glossary of words in boliyan.
Questions people ask
What is a boli?
A boli is a short Punjabi folk verse that is sung during the giddha or bhangra. One person sings the lines, and everyone joins in on the last line with claps and dancing. The plural is boliyan.
Are these boliyan traditional?
Each verse is labelled. "Traditional" verses are old folk verses with no known author, given as they are commonly sung. "New" verses were written for this site in the traditional patterns and are clearly marked.
I cannot read Gurmukhi. Can I still use them?
Yes. Every verse is also written in Roman (English) letters, with its meaning in English. You can copy either script.
Can I use these boliyan at a wedding or a school function?
Yes, freely. Traditional verses belong to everybody, and you may sing the new ones at any family, school or community event. All of them are clean and safe for a mixed gathering.