Nagaland is known as the land of festivals. Hornbill is one of the biggest festivals of Nagaland. It is not only the biggest festival for Nagaland but also the entire North East. Hornbill is celebrated every year from 1st December to 10 th December. The festival shows a very powerful representation of the Naga Culture. It is one of the biggest and longest-running music festivals. Hornbill is a celebration of culture, food, ethnicity, tradition, music, handmade goods, and many more. The festival is important because 60% of the population depends upon agriculture and the celebration revolves around agriculture. At the Hornbill celebration, one can eat traditional goods, enjoy traditional dance, drink rice beer, shop for naga jewelry, shawls. Visitors can even enjoy the spectacular showcase of cultural performances.
Why Hornbill festival is celebrated?
The festival is celebrated to encourage Inter-tribal interaction and to be aware of, preserve & protect the culture of the Nagas. Hornbill is organized by State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments and also supported by Union Government. The festival is open for people all around the country as well as the world. Many people from different countries love to participate and enjoy the festival of festival and travel to Nagaland in the month of December. This beautiful festival of culture, food, music, the tradition was first celebrated on 1st December 2000. Hornbill is celebrated at Naga Heritage Village Kisama which is about 12km Kohima District. Not only Nagas but also different tribes like Mizo, Manipuri, Arunachali, etc take part in this festival.
About the Great Bird Hornbill
One of the biggest cultures, the music extravaganza festival is celebrated as a tribute to one of the most beautiful and respected birds of the Northeast i.e, Hornbill also known by the name great Indian Hornbill or great pied Hornbill and is one the biggest family member of the hornbill birds. They are the most respected and glorified birds and they live up to a span of 50 years. They are the state bird of Arunachal Pradesh and Kerala. Hornbills are found in the forests of India, Bhutan, Nepal, Mainland Southeast Asia, and some parts of Indonesia and the Northeastern region of India. They survive on small mammals, reptiles, and birds.
Celebration Throughout the Year
Hornbill festival is celebrated every year in the first week of December. Hornbill was first celebrated from December 1 to December 7 but due to the increasing demand of this festival. In 2013 the celebration was extended to 3 more days and now it is celebrated from 1st December to 10 December every year. The festival is celebrated to make the people of Nagaland aware of their rich heritage, culture, food, music, traditional attire. It is organized by State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments and also supported by Union Government. Hornbill is also organized to promote tourism and the promotion of culture all around the world. Many big politicians and celebrities participate in this festival. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2014 Hornbill festival.
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How to reach Hornbill Festival
In order to reach one has to reach Guwahati by train, flight or bus, and then directly reach Dimapur Nagaland from Guwahati to Dimapur direct train has a distance of 200km and can be reached between 6-7 hours. And from the flight one reach in 50 minutes and then from Dimapur one can travel through by taxi and reach Kohima.
