Hornbill festival is celebrated in Kohima, Nagaland in first week of December each year. It normally takes place during December 1- 10 and it lasts for a week. The festival is organized collectively by the State Tourisms and Art & Culture Department at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama. The location is situation around 12 kilometers from Kohima.

Hornbill festival is also known as ‘Festival of Festivals’. The main purpose of this festival is to preserve the rich culture and traditions of tribes of Nagaland.

In December, the climate is beautiful here. However, it may get dark soon as the sun sets around 3pm. So, carrying jackets and sweaters to protect from cold is a must for visitors. The visitors of this place will enjoy their visit as they can understand the customs of Nagaland and know more about their food, songs and dances.

Two thirds of Nagaland people depend on agriculture and the festival is named after the hornbill. Hornbill is a colourful bird widely demonstrated in folklore of the tribes of many states.

All people in Nagaland takes part in this festival, thus this festival unites all of them. They perform dance, music etc. Traditional arts such as paintings, sculptures and wood carvings are also exhibited.

This festival has several tourist attractions including food fairs, sports, crafts and ceremonies. Traditional Naga Morungs Exhibition is one of them. Arts and crafts sale is found here. Several stalls including food stalls, herbal medicine stalls etc. are displayed. This festival is a foodie’s paradise specifically for non-vegetarians. Various flowers are available for sale on the exhibition.

Cultural medley is another attraction of this festival. Several traditional songs and dances, musical concert, fashion shows, beauty contest, traditional archery, Naga wrestling and indigenous games are there.

Daily performance starts by 9 am every day. Visitors can easily find sharing taxis to reach the destination from Kohima. Entry should be bought at the gate.

Image Reference: https://pixabay.com/photos/dance-balinese-traditional-women-4271941/