Much to the pride of India’s tourism and culture, the annual Hornbill Festival in Nagaland has already cemented its place in the world’s festival calendar. The symbol of Nagaland, the hornbill, with its lovely long beak, is a gorgeous bird. Sadly, one can’t find too many of the species in the hilly terrains of the state any longer. However, the hornbill remains the pride of Nagaland. This year is the 25th year of the festival that carries the name of the bird and is scheduled from December 1 through December 10.
It was back in 1963, on the first day of December, that Nagaland was bestowed with its current status as a state of the Indian Union. The people of Nagaland celebrate December 1 as State Day. With this ethno-cultural festival, Nagaland has, over time, become one of the most sought-after tourist hotspots in Northeast India.
The government’s main purpose in organising the Hornbill Festival was to assemble all 18 tribes of the state and let them share each other’s culture, heritage, food, dance, drinks, and handicrafts.
The festival site at Kisama resembles a tiny village with distinctive cottages for contingents of each tribe to inhabit. Every tribe has its own culture and language, not to mention their distinctive colourful attire. During the ten days of the festival, all tribes showcase their own cultural activities.
One can reach the district of Dimapur, the entry point into the capital of the hornbill state, Kohima. The 70-km drive through an undulating path cutting through the hills, where clusters of smoke issued mysteriously from various points in the knolls to merge into the sky, took us to the beautiful city of Kohima.
The continuous rhythmic musical chorus of “ay-o, ay-o,ay-o…” can be heard all the way till Kohima city, 10 km away from the Kisama heritage village, where the festival is held. The music accompanies different traditional dances with weapons, which make for great tourist attractions.
Visitors are always greeted by tribals sporting vibrantly coloured ethnic clothes, traditional weapons, and innocent smiles in place. Inside every dedicated cottage called “Morung”, you can see men and women busy cooking a wide range of bile-secreting delicacies. All this can be enjoyed with rice or fruit beer.
As the sun goes down a little early in winter, the festival village and the surrounding Naga hills become picturesque. An inner-line permit is mandatory to enter the state, and tourists can get it upon arrival at Dimapur airport.