Rajnath Singh inaugurates Hornbill Festival in Nagaland

December 1: The 18th edition of the Hornbill Festival, 2018 kick started in Naga Heritage Village located in Kisama which is around 12 kilometers from the capital of the Nagaland, Kohima. The Hornbill Festival was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday. The Hornbill Festival is organised by State Tourism and Arts and Culture departments of Nagaland. It will continue till 10 December.

The Hornbill Festival is a celebration of the traditional values of Nagaland’s 16 tribes and will witness basking in a carnival like festival. The festival is named after Hornbill, one of the most venerated bird species in the state whose importance is reflected in a number of tribal cultural expressions, songs and dances. A variety of competitions and events is in stock for the visitors to entertain themselves.The Nagaland government has earmarked 5 crore rupees for the festival, which will culminate on December 10.

The Hornbill Festival is one the largest celebration in Nagaland and there is huge gathering and much merrymaking in the form of drinking, eating, singing and dancing. The popular events include the Miss Nagaland beauty pageant, craft and food expos, the Naga chilli eating competition and so on. Apart from this, there will also be a photo fest in Kohima, heritage walks in Kisama, shooting competitions, meet up for budding writers and many more. The celebrations and programmes have been scheduled in five districts of the state Kohima, Dimapur, Mokokchung, Phek and Wokha.