The world keeps on changing. Technology keeps on improving. New things are being introduced into life each and every minute but there are a few things that never change. One among them is the passion for reading and listening to fairytales. Fairytales are loved by people because they are fascinated with the magic, the witches, the wizards, the beautiful princes and princesses, the animals that can talk and many more There are a few fairytales that remain all time favorites. One among them is Cinderella.
Who is Cinderella and why is she the favorite of millions of people?
Cinderalla is a beautiful girl neglected by her own father and abused by her stepsisters and her stepmother. A woman in this world is supposed to possess a few characters like innocence, honesty, faithfulness, selflessness, obedience, duty consciousness, modesty, softness, patience and of course, physical beauty. Cinderella, undoubtedly, has all these traits. Her original name is Ella and she gets the name Cinderella because she was left to remain in the cinders after her mother died.
After her mother’s death, her father married another woman who already had two daughters. She was rnade to work in the kitchen throughout the day. She was not allowed to sleep in a bed and she had to sleep on the floor of the kitchen floor covered with ashes. When she finished cooking and other household chores she had to pick the peas and lentils thrown into the ashes by her stepmother or stepsisters. It is human nature to feel sorry for damsels in distress. No one can prevent their hearts melting and feeling sorry for pretty little girls who are suffering. It is of no wonder that Cinderella has won the hearts of people of all ages and both genders.
What is the story of Cinderella?
The story can he explained in a few words —â From rags to riches’ or &lithe good is rewarded and the evil is punished’. There are more than 1500 versions of the story. All the versions have one thing in common — the heroine neglected and ill-treated by her own family. Cinderella’s mother dies when she is a little girl. In some versions the father character is absent and in the others the father character neglects Cinderella. After her mother’s death her father marries another woman who has two daughters. The daughters are usually depicted as the ugly sisters.
Cinderella is abused by all these three. Cinderella is very patient and obeys their orders. Her beautiful clothes are seized from her and she is made to wear rags. In all stories a magical guardian helps her to attend the king’s ball and to dance with the prince. The magical guardian is different in several versions. In one version it is a magic fish, in another it is a magical tree in her mother’s grave and in yet another it is a fairy godmother.
The end is the same in almost all versions. The prince falls in love with Cinderella in the Ball but she escapes without revealing her identity. One of the glass slippers falls off from the heroine’s feet when she runs from the dance floor. The prince searches for the girl in whose feet the slipper would fit perfectly. He finds Cinderella and they get married and live happily together. The stepsisters are punished.
What is the history and origin of the fairytale Cinderella?
The history and origin is not known. There are no historical records. The earliest version of the story is traced back to the mid-ninth century. It first originated from China. The heroine in the Chinese story was
called Yeh-Shen. In the Chinese version it is a magical fish that helps the girl to attend a festival. A lost pretty little golden shoe leads the prince to the heroine and they marry. Women with little feet were most sought after in China. The earliest European version was in Italian in the year 1697. The story has been translated in hundreds of language throughout the world.
The most popular version was written in French by Charles Perrault. It is the version most familiar to the Americans. This version has a fairy Godmother and she uses her magic to create a chariot for Cinderella to attend the Ball. She changes a pumpkin into a chariot, two mice into two horses and a frog into a horseman to drive the chariot. In the Grimm’s version there is no fairy Godmother. It is a hazel tree at her mother’s grave and the birds that help her to attend the Ball. The hazel tree is planted by Cinderella herself at her mother’s grave. It is her tears and not water that makes the tree to grow.
In this version the Ball is a three-day festival. The pigeons pick the lentils and the peas out of the ashes quickly. When the members of her home leave for the party leaving her behind, Cinderella runs to her mother’s grave and cries out aloud. The birds on the Hazel tree throw down a silver and golden dress and a slipper embroidered in gold and silver. The price dances with her all the three days in the party. He wants to find where she comes from and who she is but she disappears into a tree every day. The last day her slipper slips from her feet and it is the slipper that leads the prince to the girl. Again it is the hazel tree that helps the prince in taking the right decision when he was fooled by the step sisters.
Is there anything in the story that critics of today don’t like?
There are some gruesome details in the story that is criticized by critics. The pigeons peck the eyes of the stepsisters and make them blind. The stepmother is killed. The elder sister cuts her toe off to make the slipper fit her feet. The younger sister cuts her ankle off to make the slipper fit. These details are criticized to be gruesome.
The story has undergone many changes as years rolled by but the basic theme remained intact. It has been a great inspiration to story tellers, movie makers, poets and artists. Little girls all over the world love Cinderella even today. Cinderalla is still a favorite theme in birthday parties, favorite in fancy dress competitions and Halloween parties.
Today’s kids and adults love to play games based on the favorite characters from popular fairy tales. Cinderella has stolen the hearts of many people and there are several people who would definitely love to play Cinderella games. Are you one among them? If so, you can play online games in this website. Have fun playing Cinderella games and experience the thrill of controlling the characters of Cinderella from your finger tips and mouse. Bring out the child in you , reduce your stress, relax and enjoy.