subject: The Hornbill Festival [print this page] The Hornbill Festival
A vibrant seven sisters state on the north-eastern end of India, Nagaland is bounded by Myanmar in the East; Assam in the West; Arunachal Pradesh and a part of Assam in the North with Manipur in the south. Nagaland, the land of the hospitable and warm Nagas. Although most of the Nagas have now become Christians, they still preserve the remnants of their early animist culture and ancient traditions.
There are 16 tribes and sub tribes that live in Nagaland. Each tribe has its own distinguished costumes, jewelry and custom. Nagaland is a land of festivals and each tribe celebrates its own festival with loads of fun and gaiety. Most of the festivals revolve round agriculture as it is primarily an agrarian community.
The annual Hornbill Festival that takes place from December 1-7 every year.The Hornbill festival is more of a tourism fest than a social / religious fest. Sixteen tribes gather at Kohima and celebrate their art and culture in Kisama, situated on the outskirts of this modern city. More than 60% of the population of Nagaland depends on agriculture and therefore most of their festivals revolve round agriculture. They consider their festivals sacred and so participation in these festivals is compulsory. All the Naga tribes gather there. It is a great opportunity to learn about the customs and lives of the indigenous people from that state. It's full of colours and lights," Apart from several thousand people from various parts of Nagaland and hundreds of others from other states, a large number of foreign tourists have gathered at Kohima to be part of the festivities. But what is the festival all about? "It is about bringing all the tribes together.There will be live music , dance and Rock concert. You can taste the cuisine and have lots of rice beer," Rice beer is one of the popular drink of Nagaland.
At the same time, the streets of Kohima will witness scenes of fun and gaiety during the Night Carnival. For food, Kisama can be a delight. Each tribe serves their traditional dishes including a very potent rice beer. Naga cuisines as well as some popular dishes from other parts of the country and the world are also served. Naga wrestling competitions are now became the main event. Dances from neighbouring states like Mizoram and Meghalaya and countries including Myanmar and Thailand add to the charm of the events. Local handicrafts and handlooms, ranging from bamboo products to traditional garments and organic fruits and vegetables are on sale at the festival. The festival, which was declared by the government of India as a national event, attempts to showcase the strength and unity of Nagaland.This festival also reflects Nagaland's enthusiasm to move forward with the rest of the world and helps to unite the various tribes
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