Ali Momin

Eid-al-Adha is an extremely important festival for Muslims. They celebrate this festival with great zeal and enthusiasm. The festival is celebrated every year on the 10th day of the 12th month of the Islamic calendar, Dhu-a-Hijjah. The festival comes after the Hajj pilgrimage, which is an important part of Islam. This festival is also known as “Festival of the Sacrifice”.&nbsp; Like other Muslim festivals, this festival is also celebrated as per the lunar Islamic calendar including Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr. The festival is named after a story in Islamic history as per which, it was the day on which God decided to test the faith of Abraham.&nbsp; Abraham had a son named Ishmael. He was his dearest possession. When Ishmael was about 13 years old, Allah decided to test the faith of Abraham. For many days, Abraham had a recurring dream where Allah was commanding him to sacrifice his son, whom Allah had granted him after years of deep prayers. When the intent of dreams became clear to Abraham, he decided to fulfil Allah’s command.&nbsp; Before taking any action, Abraham decided to present the matter to his son. Ishmael did not show any hesitation and said, “Father, do what you have been said. You will find me, Insha’Allah!” Abraham was filled with tears after hearing this. To follow the command of Allah, Abraham decided to do the needed. Abraham took a knife and attempted to cut Ishmael’s throat, but he was surprised to see that Ishmael was replaced by a goat and his son was unharmed. Abraham had passed the test by his commitment to fulfilling Allah’s commands. Allah then granted Abraham the good news of the birth of his second son, Is-haaq.&nbsp; Abraham had shown his love for Allah and that he would sacrifice anything for him. Muslims commemorate this ultimate act of sacrifice every year during Eid al-Adha. Muslims perform animal sacrifice and offer prayers to mark this occasion. And so Muslims sacrifice goat on this day.&nbsp;Eid-al-Adha is indeed a significant and joyous festival that teaches us all to have the utmost faith in the wisdom of God just like Abraham. Moral of the story :&nbsp;This day teaches us lesson of ultimate sacrifice of our most valuable possession to show our love and trust in The Almighty God. It also symbolises willingly donation of our important means to others in order to strengthen relationships and friendships and to take care of needy and poor. Let’s celebrate the festival of sacrifice by vowing to make our lives meaningful and useful to others. Wish you all “Eid Mubarak”

This is a story of Eid-ul-Adha (Bakra Eid). The Eid celebrated for the message of Sacrifice in Muslim community.

Eid-ul-Adha / Bakra Eid

Shina Utavani

The festival of Durga Pooja is observed usually in the months of September or October.&nbsp; God in the form of a divine mother is worshipped in various forms such as Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. The Goddess is one but is worshipped and represented in three different forms. It is a multi-day festival in which temples are decorated. It also features performance arts and processions. On the first three days, Durga is worshipped, then goddess Lakshmi is worshipped on the next three days and on the last three days, Goddess Saraswati is worshipped. The tenth day is celebrated as Vijayadashami. It symbolises the victory of Goddesses over the demon king buffalo. The festival is majorly celebrated by people living in West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, and Odisha. It is celebrated in the honour of Goddess Durga. The primary Goddess worshipped is Durga. In Bengali tradition, the other deities next to Durga’s side- Ganesha and Kartikeya are considered to be Durga’s (Parvati) children. On the tenth day, processions with musical drum beats and chants are carried out along with clay statues of Durga. These statues are then immersed in the rivers as a goodbye to Durga and her return to divine Mount Kailash (Kailash Parbat). Goddess Durga represents the destruction of evil. The festival is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm. People make special dishes, decorate their houses, wear new clothes, follow rituals and worship Goddess Durga.

This is a story of Durga Pooja, Durga, Laxmi and Saraswati.

Durga Pooja

India is a diverse nation and there are numerous festivals that are celebrated in a year. Raksha Bandhan is one of them. On the day of Raksha Bandhan, a sister ties a thread, known as “rakhi” on her brother’s wrist, as a symbol of protection and care. The brother in turn gives gifts to his sister. It glorifies the bond and connection between them. Raksha Bandhan falls on the last day of the Hindu lunar calendar month of Shraavana, which typically falls in August. Origin: During the partition of Bengal in 1905, Dr. Rabindranath Tagore started the Rakhi festival to celebrate and strengthen the bond of togetherness and love between Hindus and Muslims of Bengal. Another story describes the tale of Yama and Yamuna. The lord of death, Yama was blessed with eternity as his sister the Yamuna tied up a Rakhi thread on his wrist. The concept of tying a thread is believed to be started from here. The festival celebrates the love and bond between a brother and sister.

This is a story of brother, rakshabandhan and sister.

Raksha Bandhan

Ram Navami is an important Hindu festival that marks the birth anniversary of Lord Rama. It is an important day to worship Lord Rama. Ram Navami falls on the ninth day of Chaitra Navaratri. This day is auspicious and has religious importance. It is believed that Lord Rama was the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu. The festival holds great importance in the Hindu religion. People celebrate this festival with great enthusiasm and joy. Celebrations of this festival indicate the removal of bad powers and welcoming of divine powers on Earth. Ayodhya, which is the birthplace of Lord Rama celebrates the festival with great devotion. A special rathyatra is organised on this day. People recite Ram Katha and narrate various stories of Lord Rama. Devotees take a dip in the river Sarayu which is in Ayodhya and after that, they visit the Ram temple to offer their prayers. Lord Rama is considered to be the king of Righteousness, virtue, and love. He was born to king Dashrath and Queen Kausalya. Lord Rama also lived in the forest for fourteen years on his father’s orders. He killed the demon king Ravana to rescue his wife who was held captive by the demon king. People celebrate the festival to worship Lord Rama.

This is a story of kausaiya, king dsrath, Ram and Ram Navmi.

Ram Navami

Rathyatra festival is dedicated to Lord Jagannath (Lord Krishna), his sister Goddess Subhadra and his elder brother Lord Balaram. Significance of the festival: Rath Yatra commemorates the journey of Lord Krishna from Gokul to Mathura. The festival is organised in Puri. It is said that every year, Lord Krishna wishes to visit his birthplace Mathura. The yatra is conducted to fulfil his desire. It is organised from Jagannath temple to Gundicha temple in Odisha. The yatra is organised in a chariot. The chariots are the main attraction of the yatra. The trio of Lord Krishna, Goddess Subhadra, and Balaram spend a whole week in the Gundicha temple and then they are returned to their original places. This ceremony is called Badhu Yatra. All of them have a distinct chariot. Lord Krishna’s chariot is known as Garudadhwaja. Balaram’s chariot is called Taladhwaja. Subhadra’s chariot is named Padhmadhwaja. It is a great Indian festival with the utmost religious importance.&nbsp;&nbsp;

This is a story of Krishna and Rathyatra.

Rathyatra

Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated every year on 2nd October. It is a national festival celebrated in India to mark the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2nd October 1869 in Porbandar. He was one of the prominent faces of India’s struggle for freedom. He is famously known as Mahatma and Bapu. He fought against the caste system and played an active role in abolishing the practice of untouchability. He is known as the ‘Father of the Nation’. Gandhiji’s words and actions influenced many people and as a result, people joined him for various protests. In 1930, Gandhiji with a huge number of people led the Dandi Salt March. He also launched the Quit India movement in 1942. Gandhiji also initiated Non-violence and Non-co-operation movement. To commemorate Gandhi’s non-violence philosophy, United Nations General Assembly had voted to establish October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence. The day seeks to spread the message of non-violence through education and public awareness. The day is celebrated by arranging various dedicatory activities and cultural events in schools and colleges. It is a day where the entire nation pays tribute to Bapu on his birth anniversary.

This is a story of Gandhi jayanti.

Gandhi Jayanti

Easter is an important festival for Christians. The festival is celebrated after three days of crucifixion of Jesus i.e. Good Friday. Crucifixion means killing someone by nailing the person across the cross. It is celebrated on Sunday and it is often known as ‘Easter Sunday’. This festival is celebrated to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus. Resurrection is a concept of living beings coming back to life after death. Easter Sunday celebrates Jesus coming back to life after he was hanged on the cross. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ was crucified on Good Friday. He was buried in a grave. On the third day, his disciples visited his grave and found out that the grave was empty. The day stands for the victory of Christ over death. The resurrection of Jesus is what ultimately makes him the ‘Son of God’. People celebrate Easter through various events and activities. Churches are decorated with flowers, lightnings, and candles. People visit the church and offer their prayers. Children decorate Easter Eggs with colours and sparkles. Various events are organised like Egg Hunt, Egg festival, etc. People prepare a variety of cuisines and celebrate the festival with their families. The tradition of Easter Eggs represents fertility and birth. It signifies new life, fertility, and rebirth. It is believed that the hard shell of the egg symbolises the sealed ‘Tomb of Christ’ and the egg's cracking represents his resurrection from death. Painted eggs or Chocolate filled eggs are common gifts exchanged at this festival. People light candles in the churches on Easter which represents that the life of Jesus is a guiding light to the world. They are lit to spread light and give hope.

This is a story of Easter and Jesus Christ.Moral(s) of the story: sacrifice

Easter

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated all over India but the people of Maharashtra celebrate it with the most zeal. It is believed that Goddess Parvati created Ganesha from dirt off her body while having a bath. Then, Parvati set Ganesha out of the door to guard while she finished her bath. Shiva returned and Ganesh did not know him so he stopped him from entering. Shiva too did not know Ganesha. He got angry and used his Trishul and threw it towards Ganesha. The trishul went through the neck of Ganesha and his head fell down. When Parvati returned, she was shocked to see this. She became very angry. Shiva promised that Ganesha would live again.&nbsp; Shiva directed every God to go in search of the head of a dead person. The only head they could find was of an elephant. Shiva fixed the elephant’s head on the child and Ganesha came back to life.&nbsp; Lord Ganesha is considered as the symbol of wisdom, good fortune, and luck. Ganesh Chaturthi marks the birth of Lord Ganesha. It is a ten-day-long festival and people celebrate by bringing an idol of Lord Ganesha in their homes. After ten days, the idol is immersed in the water and the day is called Ganesh Visarjan.&nbsp; The festival is loved by everyone. People celebrate it with great love and enthusiasm. The festival not only involves prayers but also includes activities like dancing on dhols, and singing.&nbsp;

This is a story of Ganesh, Ganesh Chathurthi, Parvati and Shiva.

Ganesh Chaturthi

Ravina Sewani

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Sophie who truly believed in Santa Claus, but the other kids didn’t and were always telling her not to believe because he was not real.They were always trying to discourage her so that she would stop believing in him. That year, on the 24th of December, Santa Claus arrived. Even those who didn’t believe in him, saw him and he gave them what they wanted for Christmas.From that moment, the kids always believed in Santa Claus. They knew he was magic and that he gave toys to all the children in the world. They all agreed it was the best Christmas ever and have always enjoyed Christmas since then.They asked their friend Sophie for forgiveness because they tried to take away her faith in Santa Claus. Moral:Faith can work wonders.

This is a story of Christmas and Santa Claus.Moral(s) of the story: faith

festival stories

Stories help in improving a child's imagination. Here are a few interesting ones for you to narrate to your child.