Discover the beauty of the Hornbill Festival Nagaland and its importance to the local culture and tourism of Kohima. Learn all about the history of the festival, where it takes place, which month it takes place and what you’ll find at one of the world’s most famous festivals.
Have you heard about the Hornbill Festival? This incredible festival that takes place in December with shows, stories and a lot of culture involved is one of the most famous in the world and is located in Kohima. But what is the importance of the Hornbill Festival Nagaland? Hornbill festival is celebrated in which state of india? What is the story behind the festival? How does the festival happen? Today, in our article you will discover everything about one of the most famous festivals in Nagaland and learn more about its history. Also, be amazed with this top destination for travel photography.
How to get to the Hornbill Festival?
First of all, let’s start at the most important point that is already highlighted in our history, how to get to Kohima? It turns out that even before tourists marvel at the beauty of the celebrations, they will already be delighted to arrive in Dimapur, an important city in Nagaland with lush landscapes in its forms full of dense vegetation that leave anyone amazed with such natural beauty. Then, to get to Kohima, visitors must pass through Dimapur where they will find already wonderful landscapes to admire.
What is the Hornbill Festival?
And now, one of the most important points: after all, how did the great celebration of Hornbill come about? With strong roots of the legends and stories of the Naga tribes this celebration emerged as a precious treasure for the population being much more than shows but a way to keep the Naga heritage alive through the years for its residents and of course, people from all over the world who are enchanted by the movement of the festivity, the contagious laughter, the traditional dances, unique and tasty cuisine and of course, all the celebrations found there.
The Origins of Hornbill Festival of Nagaland
To better understand this incredible December festivity, we will have to go back a few centuries ago before even the cities of Dimapur and Kohima became known and significant for local tourism starting with the reverences performed by the Naga tribe to the great and majestic Hornbill bird as these tribes usually lived in extreme communion and harmony with nature and the beings who lived there and celebrated the joy of life found by dressingif with vibrant and different clothes made of local materials and spices of the tribe transforming this connection with the lands of the region and traditions in one of the largest festival in the world.
After a few centuries, the government of Nagaland recognized the importance of preserving the festival that people held as a way to honor their ancestors and also to preserve a history that was built over the years as a way to show their culture through vestments, traditions, dances and joy.
Now, in present times, the city of Dimapur is one of the largest in Nagaland and serves as the gateway to Kohima and reveals the growth of the region and the development of its tourism and importance to the country’s economy as it attracts people not only from India but from all over the world.
Therefore, Dimapur is very important as a gateway to Kohima where this celebration takes place and you can already begin to realize the cultural richness of the region through so many wonders that you will find there, but that you at this point of the championship must have imagined and dreamed along with us hahaha.
Cultural Showcase:
And then, how does it happen and is it portrayed of culture at the festival? To begin with, different Naga tribes dress in the most different and colorful garments being characterized and personalized in a unique way with bright designs and with vibrant and intense tones in their characterizations, being thus a main and different point of the celebration.
Through the cultural demonstration of the clothes and traditions of the peoples, the government also acts directly in the organization of the event with the necessary support to perform the dances, songs and traditional performances that the peoples develop there. In addition, the Global Open University in Dimapur also contributes significantly to the preservation of the event in the city as this is one of the major tourism peaks during the year through the connection of local people with visitors coming from around the world to meet the event and also have fun differently in a whole new place.
As you may have already noticed, the celebration is so important that it counts on the help and participation of all and all demonstrate their form of reverence to their ancestors in a unique and individual way leaving everything even more innovative every year.
Where is Hornbill Festival celebrated?
In general, through the collaboration of all and involvement of all inhabitants, the festival can be perceived throughout the city of Kohima and at its entry point into Dimapur as well. Thus, you can visit the different moments of the celebration in various sights giving you the opportunity to know more of each place and of course, many important sights that are wonderful photo scenarios.
Another important factor to highlight is that going to the event is an adventure that you must live openly and intensely to be able to experience the best of tradition and only then you will find the most different locations of the event and can check each form of manifestation of tradition cultural residents and enjoy with them in every place.
Another tip we can also tell you is that in local shops you can also observe the manifestation of the event and this will leave you enchanted with numerous ways to enjoy this cultural heritage so rich in details and shapes. So, explore! This is our best advice for you to have the best experience possible, have a cultural immersion and be able to fully admire this reverence so important to the region.
Activities And Events:
As you can already see, an important form of cultural manifestation are the colorful and unique garments that residents wear for the celebration which in itself already makes the place more attractive for tourists. However, there you will also find several activities to perform quite different from the conventional ones of just visiting places but also interacting with residents and having a real cultural immersion in the region.
Some of the examples we can mention are tribal games, traditional dances and musical performances that please all audiences of all ages and that you can participate directly or just admire while they are performed.
Another activity that we can not forget and fail to mention is to taste the delicious Naga gastronomy that is a success with all who visit the region and are delighted with the flavors, spices and textures of each unique food prepared differently with old recipes and full of stories to tell through unique tastes.
So to enjoy your stay well, try to participate in the tribal games, if Aventure in the traditional dances and even, if you want to take the risk, participate in the musical performances that you can even discover a new talent in yourself hahaha explore and have fun while also marvel at the delicious local cuisine and venture into various dishes and flavors of the most different restaurants, and so you can enjoy the best of your stay.
Cuisine in Hornbill Festival food
Going deeper into the cuisine of the Hornbill Festival, we will begin to explore its culinary treasures more fully and unravel what the most famous and delicious dishes of Nagaland according to its admirers.
At the festival itself you will find several places with typical foods with the most different flavors such as smoked meats whimsical of the most different animals like pork, of cow and stews rich in pepper and even dishes made with vegetables grown on site which makes the dish even more tasty and natural making the experience a wonderful tasting explosion to enjoy.
And if you want to dream a little more and are already mouthwatering, one of the most famous dishes is with smoked pork with bamboo sprouts or hot pepper chutney that makes the dish much tastier and unique in a way that only the Naga tribe really knows how to do. And to go with it, how about a rice beer? If you have never heard, know that this beer is very famous there and in a traditional way is already part of the festivities.
Each dish, each texture and each flavor found refers to an important part of the history and cultural heritage of the people through different culinary traditions from all other tribes in the region so that meals become a real tasting of the history of their people in connection with the land just as their ancestors did.
Craft And Handicrafts:
And still following the tradition and its importance, We can not fail to mention that along the streets and local commerce you will find even more unique and special things in a magical way as the crafts and handmade arts that show the skills and creativity of the artisans of the Naga tribe with beautiful pieces and creations that refer to a surreal and beautiful gift for connoisseurs and even not so art fans hahaha
There, you will find the most diverse types of art and crafts from fabric shawls that also tells stories and traditions to works made of bamboo referring to the connection with the nature of the ancestors of the tribe that demonstrates great pride of its people.
In addition, you can easily find these different art forms in stalls filled with artworks that are beautiful and captivating to the eye and great memories for those who are just visiting the celebration as it demonstrates the talent and dedication through unique creations and inspiring for us.
It is worth mentioning that art is not only to buy but must be fully appreciated in respect to its history and tradition that is present there in every touch made by its creator as a way to see and understand the heart of Nagaland culture and the varied gifts of its people so special that each of you will receive with open arms.
Tourism Impact:
And now, let’s talk about the tourist impact of this celebration for the region, okay? Starting with its importance in making the area grow year after year with this being one of the most important events that happen there.
From an economic point of view, this event brings immeasurable benefits to Dimapur and Kohima because tourists from all over the world visit these cities to admire the forms and manifestations of the culture of these people and through these visits the local economy only grows generating more movement and benefits for the cities. That is, the more visitors, the more money for Nagaland is thus an important way to make money from small entrepreneurs to large entrepreneurs who also invest in the celebration of direct and indirect ways.
To better understand the context, each person who visits the celebration wants to live the whole experience and thus participate in events that are also important for the economy beyond the tasting of local cuisine that is already mandatory for tourists. I think I understood the importance of this, right?
Significance And Preservation:
And almost to the end of our matter, we need to highlight the importance of preserving this celebration through the peoples and the years. To help keep the tradition alive, the most different governments invest in the festivity as a way to also help this celebration to become increasingly recognized and show its importance to the world.
In the past, unfortunately these traditions were losing strength and importance to local people, but thanks to this festival, they are being remembered and lived by residents and even tourists and this alone is a victory to celebrate.
As much of the support for preservation, the local government plays a key and important role in ensuring that the event occurs in the best possible way and brings the essence of the celebration to each one who is present beyond the investment of the Global Open University that we mentioned earlier in a way that maintains these living and celebrated traditions.
Conclusion
And finally, I believe you have realized the importance of this celebration not only for your people but also for all involved and of course, for India as a whole. And if you were also enchanted just reading about the festival, do not forget that here on wowtickets.com you will find the best prices on air tickets both on our website and in our application of cheap airfares so that you can travel to India or anywhere in the world in a very affordable way. Beyond it, you can also read about embracing remote work in India right here and get more information for your next trip.
Finally, I hope you enjoyed learning more about the wonderful history of the festival and its different forms of celebrations by its people and also other people who like you and I admire the Naga people and their significant cultural collaboration for India and the world. And if you go there, we only wish you Bon Voyage!
