Long before there were storybooks, television or the iPads to tell the tales, there were grandmothers, great grandmothers and chubby aunts. They all kept the children entertained by spinning tales. Fancy imaginative tales about the sun, the moon, animals, prince and princesses. That was the world of oral story telling.

While we have many alternatives to storytelling these days, the original form of storytelling remains an art. March 20th is the World Storytelling Day to celebrate this form of art.

So what is the story behind the World Storytelling Day. It so happened that in 1991 an event was organized on March 20 in Sweden called “Alla berättares dag” (All storytellers day).  Though the Swedish national storytelling network did not stay for long but the day stuck around, and it is celebrated around the country by different people. Six years later storytellers in Perth, Australia organised a five-week long Storytelling festival, commemorating March 20 as the International Day of Oral Narrators.

Surprisingly, in Mexico and other South American countries, March 20 was already celebrated as the National Day of Storytellers. What a coincidence!

There are story telling events held in all parts of the world. People celebrate this day by telling and listening to stories in different languages. They tell each other about their events in order to share stories and inspiration, to learn from each other and create international contacts.

Have you got any stories to tell today?