BoliyanMehndi, vatna and sangeet boliyan · ਮਹਿੰਦੀ, ਵਟਣੇ ਤੇ ਸੰਗੀਤ ਦੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ
New boliyan for the days before a Punjabi wedding: the mehndi evening, the vatna, the choora and kalire, and the dholki night. Short, clean and easy for the whole family to sing along.
7 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
The colour of mehndi
ਮਹਿੰਦੀ ਲੱਗੀ ਹੱਥਾਂ ਨੂੰ, ਰੰਗ ਚੜ੍ਹਿਆ ਗੂੜ੍ਹਾ। ਸਖੀਆਂ ਪੁੱਛਣ ਹੱਸ ਹੱਸ ਕੇ, ਕਦੋਂ ਚੜ੍ਹੇਗਾ ਚੂੜਾ।
Mehndi laggi hathan nu, rang chadhya goodha. Sakhiyan puchhan hass hass ke, kadon chadhega chooda.
The mehndi is on her hands and the colour has come out deep. Her friends ask, laughing, "And when will the wedding bangles go on?"
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
The vatna
ਵਟਣਾ ਮਲੋ ਨੀ ਭੈਣੋ, ਹਲਦੀ ਦਾ ਰੰਗ ਪੀਲਾ। ਅੱਜ ਦਾ ਦਿਨ ਭਾਗਾਂ ਵਾਲਾ, ਚੰਨ ਵਰਗਾ ਵੀਰ ਸਜੀਲਾ।
Vatna malo ni bhaino, haldi da rang peela. Ajj da din bhaagan vaala, chann varga veer sajeela.
Sisters, rub on the vatna, yellow with turmeric. Today is a blessed day, and our brother looks as handsome as the moon.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
The choora from the uncle
ਮਾਮਾ ਮੇਰਾ ਚੂੜਾ ਲਿਆਇਆ, ਲਾਲ ਤੇ ਚਿੱਟਾ ਰੰਗ। ਬਾਹੀਂ ਪਾ ਕੇ ਧੀ ਰਾਣੀ ਦੇ, ਖਿੜ ਗਿਆ ਅੰਗ ਅੰਗ।
Maama mera chooda lyaaya, laal te chitta rang. Baahin paa ke dhee raani de, khid gaya ang ang.
My maternal uncle has brought the choora, the red and white wedding bangles. With them on her arms, the daughter of the house is glowing.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
The kalire
ਕਲੀਰੇ ਬੰਨ੍ਹੇ ਭੈਣਾਂ ਨੇ, ਛਣ ਛਣ ਕਰਦੇ ਜਾਣ। ਸਿਰ ਤੇ ਜੀਹਦੇ ਡਿੱਗ ਪੈਣ, ਅਗਲੀ ਵਾਰੀ ਓਹਦੀ ਜਾਣ।
Kaleere bannhe bhainan ne, chhan chhan karde jaan. Sir te jeehde digg pain, agli vaari ohdi jaan.
Her sisters have tied the kalire, the hanging ornaments, to her bangles, and they jingle as she moves. The playful belief is that the girl on whose head one falls will be the next bride.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
The dholki night
ਢੋਲਕੀ ਵੱਜੇ ਚਮਚਾ ਖੜਕੇ, ਗੀਤਾਂ ਦੀ ਲੱਗੀ ਝੜੀ। ਸੰਗੀਤ ਵਾਲੀ ਰਾਤ ਕੁੜੇ, ਮੁੜ ਮੁੜ ਆਵੇ ਨਾ ਘੜੀ।
Dholki vajje chamcha khadke, geetan di laggi jhadi. Sangeet vaali raat kude, mud mud aave na ghadi.
The dholki plays, a spoon taps the beat on its side, and the songs are pouring down like rain. A sangeet night like this, my girl, does not come again and again.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
A mother watches
ਧੀ ਦੇ ਹੱਥੀਂ ਮਹਿੰਦੀ ਵੇਖ ਕੇ, ਮਾਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਅੱਖਾਂ ਭਰੀਆਂ। ਕੱਲ੍ਹ ਤਾਂ ਗੁੱਡੀਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਸੀ ਖੇਡਦੀ, ਅੱਜ ਡੋਲੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਘੜੀਆਂ।
Dhee de hathin mehndi vekh ke, maan diyan akhan bhariyan. Kallh taan guddiyan naal si kheddi, ajj doli diyan ghadiyan.
Seeing the mehndi on her daughter's hands, the mother's eyes fill with tears. Only yesterday she was playing with dolls, and today it is nearly time for the doli.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Grandmother's phulkari
ਫੁਲਕਾਰੀ ਮੇਰੀ ਨਾਨੀ ਦੀ, ਕੱਢੀ ਰੀਝਾਂ ਨਾਲ। ਸਿਰ ਤੇ ਲੈ ਕੇ ਤੁਰਾਂ ਜਦੋਂ, ਨਾਨੀ ਤੁਰਦੀ ਨਾਲ।
Phulkari meri naani di, kaddhi reejhan naal. Sir te lai ke turan jadon, naani turdi naal.
This phulkari was embroidered by my grandmother with all her heart. When I walk with it over my head, she walks beside me.
The days before the wedding
A Punjabi wedding is a string of smaller gatherings, and each has its own songs. Customs and their order differ between families, regions and communities, so take this as a general picture.
- Mehndi: henna is put on the bride's hands and feet, and the women of the family have a little put on too. A deep colour is said, playfully, to be a good sign.
- Vatna: a paste made with turmeric is rubbed on the bride, and separately on the groom, by relatives. It is often called the haldi, and the days of these rituals are known as maiyan.
- Choora and kalire: the bride's red and white bangles, the choora, are usually brought by her maternal uncle. Her sisters and friends tie kalire, hanging ornaments, to the bangles.
- Sangeet or dholki night: the women sit around a dholki and sing late into the night. Somebody keeps time by tapping a spoon on the side of the drum.
How these boliyan are sung
At a mehndi or dholki evening, people are mostly sitting, so the singing is gentler than in a standing giddha: one woman sings a verse, the dholki answers, and everybody repeats the last line with claps. When the mood rises, the younger ones stand up and the same verses turn into giddha. Two-line boliyan are ideal, because guests who do not know the words can join in by the second repeat.
Choosing verses for the evening
Begin with happy ones, such as the mehndi and dholki verses. Keep "A mother watches" for late in the evening; it is a tender verse, and it will bring tears. The phulkari verse suits a moment when a grandmother is present, or is being remembered. All seven were written for this site. For old wedding songs with their meanings, such as the ghodi and the suhag, see wedding boliyan and songs.
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.