Hornbill Festival

The Nagaland government is all set to organize the popular Hornbill festival, which will take place from December 1 to December 10, 2024. Often referred to as the “Festival of Festivals,” the Hornbill Festival is one of the most iconic cultural events in Nagaland. It will be held at the Kisama Heritage Village, located just 12 kilometers from Kohima, the capital of Nagaland.

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Key Points of Hornbill Festival

1. Named after the revered Hornbill bird, the festival showcases the culture, heritage, food, and customs of Naga tribes, and people from these tribes come together to celebrate their traditions with colourful dance performances.

2. The annual program brings all the 17 tribes of the state on a platform and facilitates the promotion of their culture to the rest of the world.

Great Hornbill

1. The great hornbill is found in primary evergreen and moist deciduous forests, primarily inhabiting the canopy of tall trees.

2. It is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN and is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

3. In India, Greater Hornbills are found in the Western Ghats and the Himalayas. It is the state bird of Arunachal Pradesh and Kerala.

4. Interestingly, India is home to nine hornbill species, with the northeastern region exhibiting the highest diversity of these species in the country.

Nagaland- Tribes and Festivals

The State of Nagaland was officially inaugurated on December 1, 1963, becoming the 16th state of the Indian Union.
It is bordered by Assam to the west, Myanmar (Burma) to the east, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, and Manipur to the south.

The state bird of Nagaland is the Blyth’s tragopan.

Mithun is the state animal of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

QUICK FACT- Northeast’s Mithun gets ‘food animal’ tag

The Mithun is endemic to Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram. On average, an adult Mithun weighs between 400 and 650 kg. Semi-domesticated and reared in a free-range forest ecosystem, the only supplementary feeding it needs is salt. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recognized the Mithun as a ‘food animal with effect from September 1. With that, the Mithun can be commercially farmed, and its meat is processed for pickles, soups, wafers, and biryani.

Nagaland comprises 16 administrative districts, which are home to 17 major tribes, along with several sub-tribes. Each tribe has its own unique customs, languages, and traditional attire, making them distinct from one another.

Tribes of Nagaland

Angami
Ao
Chakhesang
Chang
Khiamniungan
Kuki
Konyak
Kachari
Lotha
Phom
Pochury
Rengma
Sumi
Sangtam
Tikhir
Yimkhiung
Zeliang

Some of the GI-tagged products of Nagaland are Naga tree tomato, Naga cucumber, and Naga Mircha.

Nagaland is filled with festivals that reflect its rich culture. Each tribe celebrates its own unique festivals.

Notably, over 85% of the population in Nagaland directly depends on agriculture; thus we see that most of these festivals center around agriculture, which is the backbone of Naga society.