A story for the moments you share.
Find reading for festivals, birthdays and new beginnings. Bring a story into the celebration, talk about a family custom, or make a quiet reading moment part of the day.
Find a published storyOccasions
Ganesh Chaturthi
17 stories
Celebrates the birth of Ganesha, the elephant-headed remover of obstacles, famously created by Parvati and given his head by Shiva.
1 published story
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Diwali
27 stories
"The festival of lights", marking Rama, Sita and Lakshmana's homecoming to Ayodhya after fourteen years in exile and the defeat of Ravana.
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Janmashtami
5 stories
Marks the midnight birth of Krishna in a prison cell in Mathura, and his father Vasudeva's storm-crossing of the Yamuna to keep him safe.
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Raksha Bandhan
3 stories
Celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters — the word means "the bond of protection", tied to old stories of sisters tying a rakhi to keep a brother safe.
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Navratri
30 stories
Nine nights honouring the goddess Durga and her many forms, building to her victory over the buffalo-demon Mahishasura.
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New baby
12 stories
The naming ceremony, Namkaran, usually held on the 11th or 12th day after birth, when a baby is formally given their name.
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Holi
5 stories
Celebrates the arrival of spring and the story of Prahlada and Holika, plus Krishna's playful colour fights with Radha and the gopis in Barsana.
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Ram Navami
1 story
Marks the birth of Rama in Ayodhya, at the end of Chaitra Navratri — the hero of the Ramayana born to end Ravana's tyranny.
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Hanuman Jayanti
2 stories
Celebrates the birth of Hanuman, the monkey-god famed for strength, devotion and once mistaking the sun for a mango.
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Mahashivratri
11 stories
"The Great Night of Shiva", the night Shiva is said to have drunk the halahala poison that churned up from the ocean, to save the world.
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Makar Sankranti
6 stories
Marks the sun's turn into Capricorn and the start of longer days — one of the few Hindu festivals fixed to the solar calendar, so it falls on almost the same date every year.
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Pongal
1 story
Tamil Nadu's four-day harvest thanksgiving, held right alongside Makar Sankranti, thanking the sun, the cattle and the land for the year's rice.
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Onam
4 stories
Kerala's harvest festival, remembering the beloved King Mahabali, who visits his people once a year — pushed underground by Vishnu's dwarf avatar Vamana, but allowed to return home each Onam.
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Durga Puja
15 stories
Bengal's grandest festival, when Durga is believed to visit her childhood home for five days with her children, before returning to Kailash.
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Vaisakhi
6 stories
Marks both the Punjabi spring harvest and, in 1699, the day Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa, asking who would give their head for their faith.
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Guru Purnima
2 stories
A full-moon day honouring teachers — named for the sage Vyasa, traditionally revered as the first guru, who is said to have compiled the Vedas and written the Mahabharata.
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Chhath
2 stories
A four-day festival, mainly in Bihar and eastern UP, thanking Surya the sun god and his consort Usha for life and sustenance.
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Ugadi / Gudi Padwa
2 stories
The Telugu, Kannada and Marathi new year (Ugadi / Gudi Padwa), said to be the day Brahma began creating the world.
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Bihu
2 stories
Rongali Bihu, Assam's spring new year and biggest festival, welcoming the farming season with music, feasting and the one-horned rhino's homeland in full bloom.
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Karva Chauth
1 story
A day mostly observed by married women in North India, fasting from sunrise for their husband's long life, drawing on old stories of devotion and rescue.
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Dussehra
3 stories
Vijayadashami — "the tenth day of victory" — celebrates Rama's defeat of the demon-king Ravana, right after Navratri's nine nights end.
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Mahavir Jayanti
3 stories
The birth anniversary of Mahavira, the 24th Jain Tirthankara, born a prince in Kundagrama and remembered for teaching ahimsa (non-violence) to everyone, not just monks.
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Paryushana
3 stories
Jainism's most important observance — eight or ten days of fasting, self-reflection, and study, ending with Samvatsari, the day of universal forgiveness.
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A wedding
24 stories
Not tied to any one month — an Indian wedding is a multi-day, multi-tradition celebration, and every region and community has its own order of ceremonies.
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New Year
2 stories
The Gregorian calendar's new year — one of several new years an Indian household might mark, alongside Diwali's Bestu Varas and the spring new years of Ugadi and Vaisakhi.
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Birthday
0 stories
Many Indian families mark a birthday twice: once by the Gregorian date, and once by the child's birth nakshatra (lunar mansion) on the Hindu calendar.
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Buddha Purnima
0 stories
Buddha Purnima marks three events said to fall on the same full moon: the Buddha's birth, his enlightenment under the bodhi tree, and his death.
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Gurpurab
0 stories
Guru Nanak Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru, who taught one God, equality, and honest work over ritual.
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First day of school
0 stories
Many families begin a child's very first day of formal learning with Vidyarambham — literally "the start of knowledge" — writing their first letter guided by an elder's hand.
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Make the occasion your own
Choose a short reading that fits the youngest listener, then connect it to a memory or custom in your family. Festival dates and practices vary by community and place; this is a story guide, not a calendar of observances.
Before you begin
Which edition should I choose for my child?
Open a book and check its age edition before reading. The five bands are 0–3, 4–6, 7–12, 13–17 and 18+. A listing here does not mean every edition is ready. For a child under seven, choose an available younger adaptation and preview it together.
Can we read in Hindi or listen together?
Each book page shows its available languages, reading previews and listening options. English and Hindi are the first reading languages; audio and illustrations may still be in preparation for a particular edition.