KOHIMA
The people of Nagaland are gearing up for the upcoming Hornbill Festival 2017 to be held from first of December till 10 December.
It is the coming together of all the elements that make up the total Nagaland. The Hornbill Festival is a collaborative celebration of all Naga tribes at one venue and has been coined as “Festival of Festivals.’
The festival is a tribute to the great “Hornbill”, which is the most admired and revered bird for the Nagas, for its qualities of alertness and grandeur.
Organized by the State Tourism and Art & Culture Department, Hornbill Festival showcases a mélange of cultural displays under one roof at a model village built at Kisama, 12 kilometres away from the State Capital Kohima.
The annual Hornbill festival envisioned and evolved in the year 2000 to showcase the rich Naga culture both traditional and contemporary in all its varied forms. Since its launch, it has brought revolutionary changes in the Tourism scene in the State.
Hornbill festival is an annual tourism promotional event to showcase Nagaland’s traditional and rich cultural heritage in all its ethnicity, diversity and grandeur.
The Hornbill Festival which coincides with State hood day, the first of December will witnessed cultural extravaganza that not only celebrates the tribal way of life but also bridges the gap between generations, revives and strengthens human bonds.
This year the festival will be of more significance as President Ram Nath Kovind will participate in the inaugural function of the festival.
Also one of the unique features for this year festival is that the picturesque Kisama have been declared as a ‘Plastic Free Zone’, thus propagating eco-friendly environment.
The Hornbill Festival celebrations are marked with a colorful display of traditional dances, sports, and songs of the various Naga tribes. Cultural dances, indigenous sports, and folk songs are the main highlights of the festival. Besides this, the festival also includes Craft Bazaar, food courts serving Naga Cuisine, Rock Music, Fashion shows, photography contest, Naga King Chilli contest, Hornbill Car Rally etc.
Hornbill festival of Nagaland is a cultural extravaganza to revive, protect and preserve the richness and uniqueness of the Naga heritage, while for the visitors, it is a means for a comprehensive understanding of Naga people, their land and culture.
Over the years, this event has gained in stature and scale. It has now become a unique platform for the tourists to witness the cultural diversity not only for the Nagas but the seven other sister states of North East India in all its wonder and glory.