Deepavali stories for kids in Tamil + English / தீபாவளி கதைகள்
A good Deepavali story for kids sounds like a Tamil family at home, Tamil with everyday English mixed in, and shows the festival the way a child lives it: the early oil bath, new clothes, a sweet box for relatives, a kolam at the door and little clay lamps. These eight picture stories are for ages 2 to 7. A grown-up always lights the lamps, and there are no firecrackers. இனிய தீபாவளி!
Updated
- கயலின் Deepavali Sweet Box Ages 2–3 · 2 min · PDF
Kayal helps Paati fill a sweet box with a laddu, a jangiri, a Mysore pak and a kaju katli, until the laddu goes missing and Thatha has a yellow crumb on his mustache.
- முகிலின் Deepavali Oil Bath Ages 2–3 · 2 min · PDF
Before sunrise, Paati gives sleepy Mugil his Deepavali oil bath: warm oil, eyes shut tight for shikakai, a big splash and a brand-new veshti.
- நிலாவின் Deepavali Murukku Ages 3–4 · 3 min · PDF
Nila's murukku come out like a snake and a wobbly flower instead of neat circles, but Thatha picks her snake murukku first.
- மீனாவின் Deepavali பட்டுப் பாவாடை Ages 3–4 · 3 min · PDF
Meena picks green silk with gold peacocks and counts the days, but on Deepavali eve her pavadai still has not come. Then the tailor's cycle bell rings.
- கதிரும் முதல் Happy Deepavali-யும் Ages 4–5 · 4 min · PDF
Kathir wants to be the first to say Happy Deepavali, but everyone beats him to it, until he finds the one person nobody has wished yet: baby Yazhini.
- ஆதியின் Video Call Deepavali Ages 4–5 · 4 min · PDF
In Toronto it is evening; in Madurai it is already Deepavali morning. Aadhi and Paati draw a kolam and light their lamps together on a video call.
- செல்வனின் Deepavali மண் விளக்கு Ages 6–7 · 5 min · PDF
City boy Selvan learns to shape a clay lamp at a village potter's wheel and presses his thumbprint into it. On Deepavali night, his leaning lamp burns straight.
- மலரின் மழை Deepavali Ages 6–7 · 4 min · PDF
Rain washes away Malar's plan for twenty lamps along the path. She finds dry places instead, and when the rain stops, every puddle shines with lamps.
Questions parents ask
What is a good Deepavali story for a 2 or 3 year old?
A short one built on sounds and things to count. கயலின் Deepavali Sweet Box (ages 2 to 3) fills a sweet box one sweet at a time, until a laddu goes missing. முகிலின் Deepavali Oil Bath (ages 2 to 3) follows the early oil bath, drip, splash and all. Each takes about two minutes to read aloud.
Which Deepavali story suits a 6 or 7 year old?
செல்வனின் Deepavali மண் விளக்கு, where a city boy learns to make a clay lamp at a village potter's wheel, and மலரின் மழை Deepavali, where rain washes away a girl's lamp plan and she finds a better one. Both have a little more feeling and take four to five minutes.
Why are these stories in Tamil and English together?
Many Tamil families, in Tamil Nadu and abroad, mix the two at home: Tamil for warmth, English for everyday words like box, ready and video call. The stories are written the same way, in Tamil script with everyday English words, so you can read them the way your family already talks.
Is there a Deepavali story for families living abroad?
Yes. ஆதியின் Video Call Deepavali is set in Toronto. It is evening for Aadhi and already Deepavali morning for Paati in Madurai, so they draw a kolam and light their lamps together on a video call.
Are these Deepavali stories safe for little ones to copy?
Yes. Whenever a lamp is lit, a grown-up does it and the child watches from a safe distance. Frying murukku is shown as a grown-up's job, and none of the stories have firecrackers.
Are the stories free?
Yes. Every story is free to read online, with a picture on every page and no account needed.