Hornbill Festival celebrated in Nagaland

Every year the “Hornbill Festival” is celebrated between December 1 and December 10. It is also called Festival of Festivals. The festival is organized by the State Tourism and art and culture department in Kohima.

Highlights of the festival

The festival is held every year in the Kisama village near Kohima, the state capital. The aim of the festival is to protect and revive the rich culture of Nagaland. All the tribes of Nagaland take part in the festival. Traditional arts of the state such as wood carvings, paintings and sculptures are displayed in the festival.

Tourism

The festival is a major tourist attraction. Till December 8, 2019, around 2,39,901 visitors have visited the festival.It includes 2,799 foreigners as well. The festival contributes a major share in boosting the economy of the state.

Naga Morungs

The Naga Morung is one of the major highlights of the festival. The Morung is a self-governing body that aims to protect the village men. Morungs were the community spaces in Nagaland where the young boys were trained. The boys are taught history and culture of the tribes in the land. They also learnt folk songs and tales during their stay. The boys were made Naga warriors in these Morungs.

At the Hornbill festival, the culture of the Morung tribes is exhibited. Their arts, paintings, lifestyle are displayed. Tourists stay at Morung cottages during the festival.

The name

Hornbill is a revered bird that is featured widely in the songs of Nagaland tribes. Hence the name horn bill is given to the festival. Hornbills are birds that are found in tropical and sub-tropical Asia, Africa and Melanesia.