From the land of festivals comes this annual tribute to a majestic bird. Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival, which takes place every year during the first week of December, is a place to showcase everything that makes this state what it is; its culture, colours, people, food, dance and so on. But that aside, it is also to celebrate a bird that is an intrinsic part of Naga culture — the Great Indian Hornbill.
The festival is conducted by the state Tourism and Art & Culture department and showcases all of Nagaland’s glory in one place. It usually takes place in Kohima in a heritage village called Kisama, which is about 12 km away from the main city. Nagaland is also a land of tribes and all of them come together to take part in this festival which is aimed at reviving and protecting the culture of Nagaland. The festival has food, song, dance, crafts, games and an exhibition of its rich traditions.
Traditional arts is a major part of the festival. Everything that is special to Nagaland, like its art, sculpting and wood carving will also be on display. The highlight of the festival, however, is the traditional Naga Morungs exhibition where there will be food and medicine stalls, apart from archery, wrestling and other shows.
