BoliyanVadhai boliyan for happy occasions · ਵਧਾਈਆਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ
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. Sing them, or send them as a message.
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
A new baby in the house
ਵਧਾਈਆਂ ਜੀ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ, ਘਰ ਆਈ ਨੰਨ੍ਹੀ ਜਾਨ। ਦਾਦੀ ਨਾਨੀ ਲੋਰੀਆਂ ਗਾਵਣ, ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ ਹੋਇਆ ਖ਼ਾਨਦਾਨ।
Vadhaiyan ji vadhaiyan, ghar aayi nannhi jaan. Daadi naani loriyan gaavan, khush hoya khaandaan.
Congratulations, congratulations: a tiny new life has come home. Both grandmothers are singing lullabies, and the whole family is happy.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
A daughter is born
ਧੀ ਜੰਮੀ ਤਾਂ ਲੱਡੂ ਵੰਡੇ, ਵੱਜਿਆ ਢੋਲ ਨਗਾਰਾ। ਪੁੱਤਾਂ ਵਾਂਗੂੰ ਧੀ ਦੀ ਲੋਹੜੀ, ਪਾਊ ਟੱਬਰ ਸਾਰਾ।
Dhee jammi taan laddu vande, vajjya dhol nagaara. Puttan vaangu dhee di lohri, paau tabbar saara.
A daughter was born, and laddus were shared and the drums were beaten. The whole family will celebrate her Lohri just as it would a son's.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
A new home
ਨਵੇਂ ਘਰ ਦੀਆਂ ਲੱਖ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ, ਬੂਹੇ ਤੇਲ ਚੁਆਈਏ। ਇਸ ਵਿਹੜੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਹਾਸੇ ਵੱਸਣ, ਰਲ ਕੇ ਖ਼ੈਰ ਮਨਾਈਏ।
Naven ghar diyan lakh vadhaiyan, boohe tel chuaaiye. Is vehde vich haase vassan, ral ke khair manaiye.
A lakh of congratulations on the new home; let us pour oil at the doorway in welcome. May laughter live in this courtyard; let us wish it well together.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Happy birthday
ਜਨਮ ਦਿਨ ਦੀਆਂ ਲੱਖ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ, ਕੇਕ ਕੱਟੋ ਜੀ ਆ ਕੇ। ਸੌ ਸਾਲ ਤੱਕ ਜੀਵੇਂ ਤੂੰ, ਰੱਖੀਂ ਹਾਸੇ ਸਾਂਭ ਕੇ।
Janam din diyan lakh vadhaiyan, cake katto ji aa ke. Sau saal takk jeeven tu, rakhin haase saambh ke.
A lakh of good wishes on your birthday; come and cut the cake. May you live a hundred years, and keep your laughter safe.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Bebe and Bapu's anniversary
ਬੇਬੇ ਬਾਪੂ ਦੀ ਜੋੜੀ ਨੂੰ, ਨਜ਼ਰ ਨਾ ਲੱਗੇ ਕੋਈ। ਪੰਜਾਹ ਸਾਲਾਂ ਦਾ ਸਾਥ ਇਹਨਾਂ ਦਾ, ਮਿਸਾਲ ਪਿੰਡ ਵਿੱਚ ਹੋਈ।
Bebe baapu di jodi nu, nazar na lagge koi. Panjaah saalan da saath ehnan da, misaal pind vich hoi.
May no evil eye fall on mother and father as a couple. Their fifty years together have become an example for the whole village. Change "panjaah" (fifty) to the right number.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Good news about a job
ਧੀ ਸਾਡੀ ਦੀ ਲੱਗੀ ਨੌਕਰੀ, ਮਿਹਨਤ ਰੰਗ ਲਿਆਈ। ਮੂੰਹ ਮਿੱਠਾ ਕਰਵਾਓ ਸਭ ਦਾ, ਸਭ ਨੂੰ ਲੱਖ ਵਧਾਈ।
Dhee saadi di laggi naukri, mehnat rang lyaayi. Moonh mittha karvao sabh da, sabh nu lakh vadhaayi.
Our daughter has got a job; her hard work has borne fruit. Sweeten everybody's mouth, and congratulations to all. Use "putt saade di" for a son.
What "vadhaiyan" means
ਵਧਾਈਆਂ (vadhaiyan) means congratulations, and it is the first word spoken in a Punjabi home when there is good news: a baby, an engagement, a new house, a result, a job. Neighbours and relatives come to the door saying "Lakh lakh vadhaiyan", and they are offered something sweet. Singing has always been part of this. Women of the family gather with a dholki, and a few boliyan turn a visit into a celebration.
When to use these verses
- A new baby: at the first gathering of relatives, or at the baby's first Lohri. The second verse here is for families celebrating a daughter's Lohri, as many now do, just as a son's has long been celebrated.
- A new home: on the day of moving in. Pouring a little oil at the doorway is an old way of welcoming someone or something happy into the house.
- Birthdays and anniversaries: after the cake, when someone says, "Now a boli!" Change the number of years in the anniversary verse.
- A result or a job: when the sweets are being handed round.
As a message
These verses also work in writing. Tap WhatsApp under a verse to send the Punjabi and the Roman lines together, and add the person's name before it. A boli stands out among the usual greeting pictures, because it is in the family's own language and has plainly been chosen for the occasion.
Singing them
All six are two-line boliyan. The leader sings both lines, and everybody repeats the second line with claps. They are easy enough for children, which matters at family occasions: a boli sung by a grandchild at grandparents' anniversary is the one the family will remember. For boliyan addressed to particular relations, see boliyan for family members.
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.