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Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival

Posted on December 4, 2021 by admin1  740

In News

  • 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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