Hornbill Festival 2016 Schedule and Celebration in Nagaland

Nagaland is one of the most beautiful states of India and is a home to different indigenous tribes with their unique culture. People of this state have an affection of celebrating their cultures, deeds of their ancient warriors, etc through various festivals. So, we can call it as "The land of festivals" and the Hornbill festival is the biggest among all these celebrations by the warrior tribes. The local of Nagaland eagerly waits for the Hornbill festival and celebrates it with full enthusiasm every year.

Why is it called Hornbill Festival?
The reason behind the name of this festival is that the bird species "Hornbill" is treated as a symbol of respect and courage by the people of Nagaland and we can see that importance in various folk songs and dances.

Where is it Organized?
The Nagaland Hornbill festival is held at the Naga village which is around 12 Km far from the capital of Nagaland that is "Kohima" and this is the logic behind that it this event is sometimes also called as "Hornbill festival Kohima".

Events at Hornbill Festival 2016
There are various programs and events held every year at this festival whose main motive is to encourage the peace among all the 17 Naga tribes and boost their traditions, culture, customs, etc along with protecting their heritage. Besides the traditional performances, this year's festival include events like Master chef competition, Hornbill international musical festival, rock contest, Miss Nagaland contest, cycle rally, snooker championship, car rally, etc. The main attraction of this year's festival is that there are more than 25 music bands from different countries which are going to take part in the International music festival here. Other than all these, the Hornbill festival events also include a "shopping festival" which displays the crafts and products designed by the locals of Nagaland. Cuisine and delicious dishes of the Nagaland served at the festival is an also an important attraction for the tourists.

Hornbill Festival 2016 Schedule
Besides the new events, the schedule of this festival remains same every year. It is organised by the state tourism and arts & culture departments during the first ten days of December which means from 1st to 10th Dec. Earlier it is celebrated for seven days during the first week of the December but as the number of events and tourists increases every year along with the popularity of the Hornbill festival, it had been extended from seven days to ten days three years ago. One of the interesting facts is that the Nagaland formation day is also celebrated on 1st of December.

How to reach Kohima
Unlike the earlier days, one can reach here easily as it is very well connected to the other parts of the country. The most appropriate way for reaching Kohima is to take the flight or train to Dimapur in Nagaland and then you can continue towards your destination by renting a car or via a local bus.