ਬੱਲੇ ਬੱਲੇ

Balle balle (ਬੱਲੇ ਬੱਲੇ) is Punjab's cry of pure joy: hooray, bravo, hurrah. Shouted over the dhol at weddings, in bhangra songs and at good news of every kind, it does not describe happiness so much as perform it, arms in the air, twice for full effect.

What does balle balle mean in Punjabi?

Balle balle means hooray: it is the sound Punjabi joy makes. Wikipedia traces the phrase to the Sanskrit word bhalla, meaning auspicious or favourable, and notes its close cousin shava shava (ਸ਼ਾਵਾ ਸ਼ਾਵਾ), another cry of delight. It carries no literal information at all, and that is the point: like hurrah in English, it exists purely to celebrate, cheer and urge the dancers on.

Its home ground is bhangra, the harvest dance of Punjab. Singers and dancers shout balle balle over the dhol as the tempo rises, and the phrase has become a symbol of Punjabis and Sikhs far beyond the dance floor. At Vaisakhi, at weddings and in Punjabi pop songs heard from Brampton to London, those two repeated words announce that the celebration has properly begun.

When do people shout balle balle?

Whenever the news is good. A son passes his exams, a daughter gets the visa, the home team scores, the first rain reaches the fields: the answer is balle balle. On the dance floor it is also a cue and a cheer, called out to praise a dancer's step or to lift the whole circle. Said once it sounds unfinished: the joy, like the phrase, always comes twice.

Is balle balle used outside Punjab?

Yes, everywhere Punjabis and Punjabi music have travelled. The phrase fronts countless bhangra and pop songs, appears in films, and has become a shorthand the whole world recognises for Punjabi celebration and pride. You do not need to speak Punjabi to use it correctly: hear good news, raise your arms, and shout it twice.