Hornbill Festival The Pride Of Nagaland

About Hornbill

India is a land of colorful, loud and exciting festivals. Tribes have been a very important part of our history, culture and population. Tribal festivals are some glorious festivities of our nation. Of the numerous tribal festivals in India, one which has made its mark on an international scale is the Nagaland’s’ Hornbill Festival.

Hornbill Festival is one of the most cherished festivals of Nagaland, India’s Far North Eastern state and celebrated by locals with much enthusiasm and zeal. Hornbill Festival is also popularly known as “The Festival of Festivals”. The festival is named after Indian Hornbill, the colorful and charismatic forest bird in the state whose importance is reflected in every tribal communities of Nagaland. They express the significance of the Hornbill in every aspect of their culture. The Hornbill Festival is one of the largest celebrations of the indigenous warrior tribes of Nagaland. The first festival was held in December 2000.

It was in the year 2000, when the Nagaland Government desired to promote tourism in the state by showcasing the cultural beauty and heritage of the State. Thus, the inception of the Nagaland Hornbill Festival so named in collective reverence to the bird enshrined in the cultural ethos of the Nagas to promote the spirit of unity in diversity. Organized by the State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments, Hornbill Festival showcases a combination of cultural displays under one roof.

The Naga people have preserved their customs and legacy and they have sustained in maintaining their heritage and tradition which can be seen in their way of living. Each of the tribes and subtribes in the state has their own way of instructing their individual culture. In addition their traditional ceremonial attires are different from each tribe.

When Hornbill Festival is held?

Hornbill Festival is celebrated every year in the first week of December, and continues for a week. And as the festival is growing more tourists the days are getting extended and in 2015 it lasted for 10 days.

How to reach Hornbill Festival

By Road: The capital city Kohima is a hill station so the best way to reach the terrain is by road. Dimapur is the nearest big city and connects Nagaland by Rail and Airport. So the visitors have to land on Dimpur first to reach Kohima which is about 75 kms away from the city. Cabs and Taxis are easily available in the city and can be hired from the Taxi stand of the city. One can also take a bus from the bus stand of Dimapur.

By Air: As there is no airport in Kohima, the nearest airport is in Dimapur where only Domestic flights are operated. The Dimapur Airport connects with Guwahati and Kolkatta only from where the connected flights are available for rest of India. And for Foreign tourists Kolkatta is the best gateway from where they can get a direct flight to Dimapur.

By Railway: Again for being a hill station Kohima do not have connectivity with rail. The nearest is the Dimapur railway station which connects to rest of India. Direct trains from every Metro cities of India are available.