India is a country which is really blessed with breathtaking landscapes, architectures, historical monuments, people & culture towards its all ends. If you are willing to explore this country, there is much more to learn & to realise how little we know about our own space ! This time, I decided to visit one such corner of India - extreme north eastern side state - Nagaland. The only purpose was to explore tribal side of North East India in biggest cultural festival happening in Nagaland every year named - “Hornbill Festival”.

Named after the Great Indian Hornbill bird, this festival holds major significance to Nagaland and its community. What have started in year 2000, now has been caught with global attention & has given ample boost to Nagaland tourism for sure. The unique & diversified cultural exploration makes the visit to this land really intriguing. Closing the year 2019 at Hornbill festival was the best thing which I could have done for sure. The festival happens every year from 1st Dec to 10th Dec. However due to its remote nature, requires well in advance preparation & planning. I am hopeful that this article will inspire you to travel for hornbill festival in 2020 ! 

Tell us something more about Nagaland, Prathamesh ! 
Nagaland, north eastern state of India, became India’s 16th state on 1 December 1963. Agriculture has always been the major economy of the place covering around 70% of the state’s economy. Today festivals like hornbill are major part of tourism & at the same time it helps to keep the ancient Indian traditions connected to global audience. 

Nagaland cities & small villages are connected through mountainous roads all around & the journey from one place to another is absolute delight. The climate here in state is largely monsoon with average rainfall of 1800-2500 mm. So it truly justifies the forest beauty of the land which protects some amazing flora & fauna in its heart all around. 

I read somewhere that, Nagaland is one such place in India which preserved its traditional beliefs down the generations through word of mouth & todays generation is truly proud of their ancient cultures. Music is major part of the tradition & as they say life itself is biggest-longest festival and every moment of it needs to be cherished !

About Hornbill 

As mentioned earlier, this festival happens every year from 1st Dec - 10th Dec. Surprisingly the Venue is not the capital of Nagaland or any bigger city. Festival happens at Kisama Village which is also known as Naga heritage village. Interestingly the name Kisama is derived from the names of adjoining villages ‘Phesama’ and ‘Kigwema’. Locals informed that these two villages shares the land for this heritage village which was built for the hornbill festival explicitly & thus the name.

This 10 days long event is complete package of arts, culture, tradition, games, handicrafts & food delicacies. However major attraction of event are tribal communities & famous naga warriors of respective tribes who then shares & showcase the ancient life styles, festive musics & dance cultures along with rituals. Thus, hornbill festival is very fondly known as “Festival of Festivals” in locals. 

Tribes at Hornbill

When it comes to the total number of tribes in Nagaland region, there are 17 of them named Angami, Ao , Chakhesang, Chang, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Lotha, Phom, Pochury, Rengma, Sangtam, Sumi, Yimchungru, Zeliang, Garo, Kachari & Kuki. Festivals in Nagaland are considered as sacred & so does the participation in it. All of these 17 tribes can be seen here at Hornbill over the period of 10 days. Along with these main tribes from Nagaland, many sub tribes & tribes from nearby states of north east India can be seen at the venue.  Each of these tribes has their own statement & lifestyle to live with. From clothing, headgears, ornaments to food habits things varies from tribe to tribe. While some are known for their music & dance cultures, others are known for their furious war skills. While some believes in deities, others consider nature as the power & source of life.  While women needs to be skilled in activities such as cooking, singing, dancing, handicrafts etc, men’s pride stays in war skills, sports & outdoor activities. It is so fascinating to visit each of these tribes & find out a substantial difference in lifestyle & religious beliefs of people living around same area in Nagaland. We can surely witness how life would have been here until as early as few generations back. Today, these lifestyles are merging with present however the pride is still alive & every one from these tribes are trying to pass these undocumented ancient skills to upcoming generations ! 

Some amazing facts of Nagaland

• Home of One of the Spiciest Chillies

  Famously known as naga chilli from the region is considered to be one of the top ten spiciest chillies in the world as of 2019. In 2011, it was considered as spiciest in the world with the Guinness World Record. Today it is a major attraction for visitors in Nagaland which is available in raw or pickle form for collection. Hornbill festival arranges naga chilli eating competition every year. The competition is so dangerous that it needs full medical attention while it is happening. Watching participants eat naga chilli is a mix feeling. One of the visitor next to me attempted to take a quick bite of the chilli & all I could witness from then was he started sweating immediately, his face went all red, his eyes & nose started to drain in agony. After watching all this, how could I even dare to touch this thing with my hands ? 

• Juiciest Pineapple’s of Nagaland

  If you are scared of chilli eating competition, it's time to eat something sweet. When it comes to agriculture, Nagaland is blessed with variety. Pineapple is one such thing which naga people are proud of. Pineapples in some of the regions of Nagaland are sweetest & juiciest in the world with very little or no fiber content. Thus it is very difficult to eat even a single piece of the fruit without making embarrassing face in front of thousand of audience during the competition.   

• Zutho Rice Beer

  The famous zutho drink can be found at the festival for tasting. It is a fermented drink made from the rice & mainly consumed by Angami tribe. However all naga tribes loves this drink & can be seen with bamboo cups or big animal teeth like mugs in their hands. Zutho is famously known as rice beer in slang. 

• Naga head hunters

  Out of all warrior tribes there is one such which is considered really intense & makes a special appearance. These are head hunters of Konyak tribe. Konyak tribe’s fierce headhunting history until as early as 1960, makes them stand out from rest of the tribes. Territorial conflicts between rival tribes and villages were resolved through war & Konyak were famous for their headhunting skills as winning celebration at the end. They would cut the head of enemy & bring it back to the village as trophies. The head then would be displayed on walls or doorways of respective warrior as honour. Such fearless warriors were honoured further with tattoos on their bodies, especially faces & chest. Konyak are easily identified with their ear piercings of animal horns & headgears made from wild pigs’s horns , hornbill feathers & wild boars hairs.  There are only countable of these headhunters which can be seen or met easily these days. However hearing or reading stories of these is no less than an adventure !

• The Morung of Naga people

  Every village of tribes has clans of territories & each of these clan had one Morung. Morung is nothing but big building at the entrance of village or at a place from where the village can be protected in best effective way. All the religious gatherings & announcements were used to happen at these Morungs. These Morungs of all tribes can be seen at Kisama village where respective tribes spend their time during the festival.

• Fashion of Nagaland

  Fashion is important part of Naga peoples lifestyle. It is not the modernisation that brought the fashion into Nagaland. In fact it indeed came from tribes over the generations. Nagaland has its own fashion history. Todays fashion in Nagaland however is a mix of tradition & modernisation. Nagas are proud to says that they are as hot as naga chilli & as sweet as naga pineapple ! 

How to Reach at Hornbill Festival in Nagaland ?

I can understand that even for most of the Indians its way far just to make up a mind to visit this place. However, everything comes with its own benefits & opportunities. The festival happens at Kisama village which is around 12 km from the capital of Nagaland Kohima. Reaching to Kohima is also a task & journey to enjoy. Your aim should be Dimapur city which is biggest city in Nagaland & which connects flights & trains across other parts of India. Dimapur to Kohima is around 80 km journey which needs to be done by road. To reach Dimapur, you can either chose a path of Guwahati or Kolkata for easy connections. 

What are Stay options around Hornbill Festival in Nagaland ?

Stay options around Kisama or Kohima are very limited & they easily get booked during festival times. So visitors are requested to plan the visit well in advance. The event opens up every day around 9 AM & closes by the darkness. So planning needs to be done accordingly. Small hotels or home-stays are available around nearby villages. If you are comfortable , there are few camping options as well. Do your careful research or trust local contact for necessary bookings. Missing your booking in Nagaland is not a surprise as most of the things happens over call or manually.

How is the weather during Hornbill Festival in Nagaland ?

Weather condition stays mix during the month of December. Kohima & Kisama both are hilly regions & they are quite warm during mid day however by early evenings temperatures drop suddenly. So be prepared for cold evenings & chilly mornings.

How is the food during Hornbill Festival in Nagaland ?

In regards with food, stalls at the festival offers ample opportunities to enjoy local tribal delicacies. However most of them are animal meats, boiled vegetables & types of rice. If you are foodie & loves trying new things, you will have a big ball. But if you are vegetarian better to be prepared for the day with some own snacks , dry fruits, biscuits etc. There are few vegetarian food stalls in festival area but offerings are very little & one should not expect a royal meal. Kohima city offers some food joints however town closes early by night so a precise planning & research is required before heading out for food.

Review on Hornbill Festival

Though I had to face some challenges during my visit such as tough roads, longer traveling time, stay hassles, food struggles, I have thoroughly enjoyed being in the history of India. I came through all of the challenges as hard as nagas lifestyle & I am pleased that I could learn so much about another side of India. While exploring something new, I am always up for such challenges & what matters for me is the experience. Festivals like hornbill are preserving our ancient culture at its best with global outreach & I truly feel event like these should happen all across places in India to keep such dying arts alive. I am glad that I could document these nagas in my photographs & could learn how to stay happy in every little thing available around us ! When thought from the soul, life is in itself is an inspiration & at the end of the day only thing matters is the happiness of our society ! 

Hit love if you enjoyed this blog & drop me a message through Contact Page, if you are interested in hornbill 2020 as traveler or as photographer. I would love to arrange one for you !