Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival

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    • Hornbill Festival 2021 of Nagaland kicked off recently, after a gap of one year following the outbreak of COVID-19.

    Hornbill Festival

    • About: 
      • This festival usually takes place between the 1st and the 10th of December every year in Kohima.
      • The festival gets its name from the Indian Hornbill.
      • The Hornbill is a common bird among the folklores and tribes of Nagaland and can be commonly seen prancing around in the forests of Nagaland.
    • Location: 
      • Hornbill Festival is held at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama which is about 12 km from Kohima. 
    • Festival of all festivals: 
      • This is a very popular festival of Nagaland. Often cited as “festival of all festivals”.
    • Aim: 
      • The aim of the festival is to revive and protect the rich culture of Nagaland and display its extravaganza and traditions.
    • Other presentations for the session were
      • Ao – Naga Wadir Yar (Naga Wadir’s Dance)
      • Phom – Kyong-Nya-Yong (Graceful dance)
      • Lotha – Rice bounding folk song
      • Khiamniungan – Po-Hoi Jihang (Dormitory song)
      • Garo – Quarrel dance and
      • Chang – Khüngkhün Wansatyung (traditional way of fire making).
    • Gusto and fervor: 
      • The tribes of Nagaland celebrate their festivals with gusto and fervor. 

    Significance

    • Promoting tourism: Hornbill Festival provides a platform to various tribes from the state to showcase their culture and it is also an avenue for promoting tourism and allied economic activities.
    • Unity: It unites all the people of Nagaland as well as the rest of the country and celebrates the different tribes of Nagaland.
    • Culture: The festival offers a clearer glimpse into understanding the Naga culture better.
    • Agriculture: More than 60% of the population of Nagaland depends on agriculture and therefore most of their festivals revolve around agriculture.
      • They consider their festivals sacred and so participation in these festivals is compulsory.

    Other festivals

    • Some of the important festivals celebrated are
      • Tsukhenyie by the Chakhesang.
      • Mimkut by the Kukis.
      • Bushu by the Kacharis.
      • Sekrenyi by the Angamis.
      • Aoling by the Konyaks.
      • Moatsu by the Aos.
      • Tuluni by the Sumis.
      • Nyaknylum by the Changs.  
      • Tokhu Emong by the Lothas.
      • Yemshe by the Pochurys.

    Great hornbill

    • It is also known as the concave-casqued hornbill, great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill is one of the larger members of the hornbill family.
    • It is found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
    • Its impressive size and colour have made it important in many tribal cultures and rituals.
    • The great hornbill is long-lived, living for nearly 50 years in captivity.
    • It is predominantly frugivorous, but is an opportunist and will prey on small mammals, reptiles and birds.
    • IUCN status: Vulnerable.

    Source: HT

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