The Hornbill Festival is one of Nagaland’s most famous cultural ceremonies. Northeast India is a mountainous state of Nagaland with various tribes living in the state.
They have their unique festivals, and they observe all these festivals with passion and dedication. Almost every tribe of Nagaland celebrates this Hornbill Festival.
The Hornbill Festival represents the traditions and cultural heritage of Nagaland. The Hornbill Festival is also known as the “Festival of Festivals.”
If you have a thirst for Hornbill Festival and want to feel the emotions of the people of Nagaland, you are in the right place. So stay with us to have a proper guideline.
Here you gonna know about the history of the Hornbill Festival, where it is held, the duration of this Festival in 2023, the celebration, activities, attractions, passion&dedication of this Festival, and so on. Hopefully, you will get all information through this article.
The Histroy of Hornbill Festival
In 2000, the Hornbill Festival was organized by the Government of Nagaland for the first time. This Ceremony is observed every year from 1st to 10th December.
The Hornbill Festival has a significant impact on promoting the cultural heritage of Nagaland & also encourages inter-tribal interaction. The Festival’s name comes from the Indian Bird Hornbill, which is a colorful & large forest bird. We can better know this bird from the folklore of most of the state’s tribes.
Where is this Festival held?
Kisama is about 12 km from Kohima, a place of Naga heritage village where the Hornbill Festival is celebrated. Moreover, the rock & music festival contest is also held nearby Dimapur. Almost all tribes of Nagaland take part in this Ceremony. This Festival is started every year in the 1st week of December.
Copyright: © Carsten ten Brink
Hornbill Festival Date 2023
Hornbill Festival is usually celebrated from 1 to December 10. So obviously, this event will be held on the same date in 2023. The Art & Culture and State Tourism Departments arranged this program. In 2023, the Festival will complete 23 years. The celebration becomes more entertaining and grows more critical day by day.
Due to COVID regulations, you must ensure the documents of complete vaccination before attending the Festival. But if you are not vaccinated, you need to carry a negative test report that can be CBNAAT, RT-PCR, OR TrueNat. So before traveling for 72 hours, you make sure to get these test reports. Under 12 years of age, children that travel with their parents don’t need any testing reports.
Importance of Hornbill Festival
Hornbill Festival plays a vital role for the people of Nagaland as it opens a way to introduce their culture, ethnic cuisines, traditions, and other extensive attractions of their state. Most of the people of Naga depend on agriculture. So most festivals of these tribes turn around to agriculture.
They believe their Ceremony is sacred, so attending these festivals is obligatory. Tribal people expose their traditions and heritage throughout this Festival and create a unique identity of the state in India’s federal union. Moreover, this leads the way for tourism worldwide and supports the economy. For visitors, it creates an opportunity to exploit Nagaland’s customs, foods, dances, and songs.
Why Nagaland Celebrate the Hornbill Festival
The main aim of these celebrations is to protect and revive the culture of Nagaland. This Festival gives a view of traditions and extravaganza to their culture.
The other significant objective is to lead to cultural assimilation. Hence, the senior folk in the villages move to Kohima, meet with other Nagaland people, and celebrate this Festival. In addition, this unique Festival attracts people of the world and enhances the state’s tourism.
Activities of the Hornbill Festival
The Hornbill Festival unites one and all in Nagaland, and every tribe of this land takes part in this Festival. They display their tribe’s specialty and relish the colorful performances, food fairs, crafts, games, sports, and other traditional ceremonies. Plus, the Naga Morungs exhibition is the highlight of their Festival.
Furthermore, this Festival’s highlights are herbal medicine stalls, food stalls, sale of arts and crafts, flower shows and sales, naga wrestling, traditional archery, the Miss Nagaland beauty contest, fashion shows, and cultural dances & songs, musical concert, and various games.
This program combines religious ceremonies and a mixture of colorful performances. Modern Naga artists also display paintings, sculptures, wood carvings, and traditional arts. In addition, Naga troupes perform traditional dances, sing folk songs, and play games and sports. Music concerts are also arranged in the evening, ensuring the festive spirits go on till late at night.
Moreover, the Hornbill International Rock Festival, a local and international rock band’s performance at Indira Gandhi Stadium, is the major attraction of this Festival.
Additional attractions of Hornbill Festival
Some additional attractions of the Hornbill Festival mix the spices of this Festival.
So take a glimpse of these attractions, and they are:
Konyak fire eating demonstration
Another attraction of the Hornbill Festival is Konyak fire eaters. The Konyaks are known as fearsome warriors of the Naga tribes. These eaters demonstrate fire eating. They bear the pain of fire while they brush their bodies with charcoal and chew the fire woods.
Hornbill International Rock Contest
The Music task force arranges the Hornbill International Rock Contest, the longest music festival in the country. Music lovers attend this event, and their craziness toward the music creates an extraordinary experience for the performers. Moreover, the opportunity to win attractive prizes makes the event more crowded.
Hornbill Literature Festival
The Art & Culture and State Tourism Departments organize the Hornbill Literature Festival. This Festival displays the mélange of cultures under one roof. Every year in Kohima, this Festival takes place from December 1 to December 10.
North East India drum Ensemble
The most attractive event of this Festival is ‘Drums of Northeast,’ which is arranged by the North East Zone Cultural Centre. Through this program, they display the colorful life of the northeastern region.
There are some other events held at the Hornbill Festival. These events are the following:
- Naga King chili eating competition
- Prok-fat eating competition
- World war II Vintage Car Rally
- Hornbill International Motor Rally
How Tourists or Foreigners take part in the Hornbill Festival?
The Hornbill Festival has become a major tourist attraction. All these years, this Festival has created a significant factor in enhancing the state’s tourism brand. Tourism promoters believe that this Festival opens a way for visitors to understand the culture and traditions of the people of Nagaland.
To participate in the Festival, foreigners must register with the Foreigner’s Registration Office (FRO) of the district they want to travel to. Indians also need an Inner Line Permit to enter Nagaland. The local tour operator Camp Zingaros organized a Camping facility near the event area.
Through this Festival, tourists can enjoy the songs, dances, foods, and customs of Nagaland.
What other tourist attractions to visit?
If you want to enjoy the entire trip to Nagaland, you can visit some mesmerizing places, feel the Hornbill Festival’s charm, and connect with mindblowing nature.
Tuophema Village
Tuophema village is a tourist spot located a little bit distance from Kohima. You can explore the culture by visiting a souvenir museum, traditional thatched huts, and clothes and must try their authentic Naga foods.
Mokokchung
This place is like paradise for nature lovers. Here you will find hills surrounded by trees, visit the museum and explore the culture.
Dimapur
Dimapur is the official entry point of this state. However, the immersive, beautiful scenery and historical glory can’t stop you from falling in love with the city.
Mon
Mon is known as Koynak Nagas land. This area has some charming eye views as well. Also, here you can see the animal skull art and wood carvings. Moreover, you can visit one more place, Longwa, which shares a border with Myanmar.
How Does the Hornbill Festival Compare to Pongal in terms of Cultural Significance and Celebration?
The Hornbill Festival in Nagaland and Pongal festival South India both hold significant cultural importance in their respective regions. While the Hornbill Festival showcases the rich heritage and traditions of the Naga tribes, Pongal festival South India celebrates the harvest season with vibrant festivities and rituals. Both festivals are deeply rooted in tradition and draw people from all over to partake in the celebrations.
5 facts about Hornbill Festival
- On December 1, 2014, honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated this Festival.
- In the past, this festival duration was from 1 to December 7. But in 2013, the duration of this celebration was extended by three days.
- This Festival has become a big attraction for tourists. Every year many tourists and foreigners attend this program which significantly grows the economic structure.
- Last year according to organizers, almost 70 to 100 crore rupee earnings came from this Festival.
- This year, the famous Bollywood producer-director Prakash Jha attended the program.
This week-long Festival unites all tribes of people of Nagaland. The Hornbill Festival shows the rich culture and traditions of Nagaland. By attending this Ceremony, people from all over the world can connect with the tribes and better understand their living styles. The Government of Nagaland arranges the Festival every year to promote the cultural heritage of Nagaland.
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Onam 2022 – The Kerala Festival Of Joy And Happiness (Wishes And Quotes)
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