Popularly known as the “festival of all festivals”, the Hornbill festival is a winter celebration in the north-eastern state of Nagaland. The festival starts on the first of December every year and lasts for ten days. Hornbill festival is a grand celebration of the Naga culture through dance and music performances.
Nagaland is home to multiple different tribes and all the tribes make heartful contributions to the festival. Hornbill festival is a known one all around the globe, and every year, many tourists come to Nagaland to witness the beautiful dances and performances. The visitors are welcome to participate in the dances or even the competitions.
This festival highlights the beauty of the different cultural practices of Nagaland. For visitors, it is one of the best ways to know about the different tribes and their rich culture. All the people of Nagaland come together and make the Hornbill festival a success every year.
History of the Hornbill Festival
It is easy to guess that the festival gets its name from the Indian Hornbill. Hornbill is a bird that is seen strutting around in the forests of Nagaland. The Nagas have utter respect for their culture and therefore, they consider it really important that the festival is graced with the presence of their culture.
Hornbill festival has been the pride of the Nagas for twenty long years now. This festival was started in the year 2000 to exhibit the culture of the different tribes in Nagaland. It got stronger with every passing year. It is a popular event even beyond the boundaries of the country now.
Most of the festivals celebrated by the people of Nagaland revolves around agricultural practices. The reason behind this is that more than 60% of the people depend on agriculture for their livelihood.
The significance of the festival is the preservation and protection of the Naga cultures and traditions. Hornbill festival is considered sacred and participation is essential. It is a way to bring all the tribes of Nagaland together and improve the relations among them.
Rituals of the Festival
The success of the festival over the years is the result of the hard work of the Nagaland Tourism department. The celebration takes place in a village, Kisama, which is twelve kilometers away from the capital city, Kohima. The village is known as the Naga Heritage Village.
The week-long Hornbill festival keeps the people entertained with dance performances, music, food fairs, sports, parades and traditional arts on display.
Each tribe performs its own cultural dance. Exhibition and sale of wooden crafts, sculptures, paintings, wood carvings, handy crafts, are an attraction for the visitors.
To bring out the competitive spirit in people fashion shows, beauty competitions, and games are organized. Traditional archery, wrestling, athletic sports, and other such activities are also a part of the Hornbill festival. Flower shows and herbal medicine stores are also available.
Hornbill Festival Celebrations
Multiple food stalls are set up which sell delicious traditional food items of the Nagas. The Hornbill International Rock Festival is a major attraction of the festival. The Indira Gandhi stadium is the venue, where many local as well as international rock bands entertain the crowd throughout the night.
For twenty years the government has been successfully organizing this grand festival which has become a major tourist attraction recently. So, if you plan to visit Nagaland make sure you attend the Hornbill festival and be a part of the celebrations.