BoliyanJaago boliyan · ਜਾਗੋ ਦੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ
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. Sing them while walking, with claps and the jingle of the stick.
6 new verses on this page. Each has the Punjabi text, the same words in Roman letters and the meaning.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Waking the lane
ਗਲੀ ਗਲੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਹੋਕਾ ਦੇਈਏ, ਸੁੱਤਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਜਗਾਈਏ। ਵੀਰੇ ਦੇ ਵਿਆਹ ਦੀ ਜਾਗੋ, ਸਿਰ ਤੇ ਚੁੱਕ ਲਿਆਈਏ।
Gali gali vich hoka deiye, suttiyan nu jagaiye. Veere de viah di jaago, sir te chukk lyaiye.
Let us call out in every lane and wake those who are asleep. We are bringing the jaago of our brother's wedding, carried on our heads.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Lamps on the pot
ਗਾਗਰ ਉੱਤੇ ਦੀਵੇ ਬਲਦੇ, ਚਾਨਣ ਹੋਇਆ ਵਿਹੜੇ। ਮਾਮੀ ਨੱਚੇ ਜਾਗੋ ਚੁੱਕ ਕੇ, ਆ ਜੋ ਸਾਰੇ ਨੇੜੇ।
Gaagar utte deeve balde, chaanan hoya vehde. Maami nache jaago chukk ke, aa jo saare nede.
Lamps are burning on the pot, and the courtyard is full of light. Maami, the maternal aunt, is dancing with the jaago on her head; come closer, everybody.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Open the door, neighbour
ਗੁਆਂਢਣੇ ਨੀ ਬੂਹਾ ਖੋਲ੍ਹ, ਅੱਜ ਨਹੀਂ ਸੌਣ ਦੀ ਰਾਤ। ਨਾਨਕਿਆਂ ਨੇ ਜਾਗੋ ਕੱਢੀ, ਨੱਚ ਕੇ ਕਰਨੀ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਤ।
Guandhne ni booha kholh, ajj nahin saun di raat. Naankeyan ne jaago kaddhi, nach ke karni prabhaat.
Neighbour, open your door; tonight is not a night for sleeping. The mother's family has brought out the jaago, and we will dance until morning.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Oil for the lamps
ਜਾਗੋ ਵਿੱਚ ਤੇਲ ਪਾ ਦੇ ਚਾਚੀਏ, ਦੀਵਾ ਨਾ ਬੁਝ ਜਾਵੇ। ਜਿੰਨਾ ਚਿਰ ਇਹ ਦੀਵੇ ਜਗਦੇ, ਗਿੱਧਾ ਪੈਂਦਾ ਜਾਵੇ।
Jaago vich tel paa de chaachiye, deeva na bujh jaave. Jinna chir eh deeve jagde, giddha painda jaave.
Aunt, pour a little oil into the jaago so that no lamp goes out. As long as these lamps burn, the giddha will go on.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
The uncle's stick with bells
ਮਾਮੇ ਹੱਥ ਘੁੰਗਰੂਆਂ ਵਾਲਾ ਖੂੰਡਾ, ਛਣ ਛਣ ਕਰਦਾ ਜਾਵੇ। ਭਾਣਜੇ ਦੇ ਵਿਆਹ ਦੀ ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ੀ, ਮਾਮੇ ਤੋਂ ਸਾਂਭੀ ਨਾ ਜਾਵੇ।
Maame hath ghungruan vaala khoonda, chhan chhan karda jaave. Bhaanje de viah di khushi, maame ton saambhi na jaave.
The maternal uncle carries a stick tied with bells that jingles as he walks. His nephew is getting married, and he cannot contain his joy.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Nobody sleeps tonight
ਬਾਰੀ ਬਰਸੀ ਖੱਟਣ ਗਿਆ ਸੀ, ਖੱਟ ਕੇ ਲਿਆਂਦੀ ਲੋਈ। ਜਾਗੋ ਵਾਲੀ ਰਾਤ ਕੁੜੇ, ਸੌਂਦਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਕੋਈ।
Baari barsi khattan gaya si, khatt ke lyaandi loi. Jaago vaali raat kude, saunda nahin koi.
He went away to earn and brought back a warm shawl. But on the night of the jaago, my girl, nobody sleeps.
What the jaago is
ਜਾਗੋ means "wake up". On a night shortly before a Punjabi wedding, the women of the mother's side, the nanke, lead a singing procession through the lanes around the wedding house. One of them, usually a maami (the wife of the mother's brother), carries on her head a decorated metal pot, a gaagar, with small lamps fixed around its top. The others follow with claps, boliyan and a long stick tied with bells. They stop at the doors of relatives and neighbours, who come out, add a little oil to the lamps, offer sweets and join the dancing for a while. The pot passes from head to head during the night. Customs vary from family to family and village to village, and today many families hold the jaago in the courtyard, a street or a hall, with battery lamps in place of oil ones.
How jaago boliyan are sung
Jaago boliyan are sung on the move, so they are short and loud, with a strong beat for walking. One woman calls the lines, and the whole group repeats the last one. Between boliyan, everybody takes up a jaago chant; one well-known traditional chant is given on our wedding boliyan page. The mood is noisy and teasing: the point is to wake people up and tell the whole neighbourhood that there is a wedding in the house.
Tips for the night
- Choose five or six boliyan beforehand, and make sure at least three women know each one, so the singing does not stop when the leader is out of breath.
- If you use real oil lamps, keep dupattas and hair well clear of the flames, and let only an adult who is used to it carry the pot.
- Respect the neighbours: keep to the hours your area allows for loud music, and lower the volume near homes with small babies or people who are unwell.
The six boliyan here were written for this site. Change "veere" (brother) to "bhain" (sister) or to the name of the bride or groom.
Traditional verses are old folk verses with no known author, given as commonly sung; your village may sing them a little differently. New verses were written for this site in the old patterns.
More boliyan
New to boliyan? Read what a boli is, how to put a boli in the giddha and the meanings of words in boliyan.