Nagaland's Hornbill festival crosses 65K tourists

KOHIMA: Nearly 66,135 tourists, including 702 foreign nationals, witnessed the first five days of the 10-day-long Hornbill festival being held at the Naga Heritage village, Kisama, in Nagaland's state capital Kohima, police said on Tuesday.

A Nagaland Tourism department official said that 44,382 locals and 21,049 tourists from other Indian states visited the picturesque Kisama to witness the various events and performances of the colourful Hornbill festival.

Inaugurated by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on December 1, the 23rd edition of the Hornbill festival has been showcasing Nagaland's deep-rooted traditions and its diverse cultural heritage of different tribes among the tribals and grandeur.

The festival is a cultural extravaganza to revive, protect and preserve the richness and uniqueness of the Naga heritage. Called the 'Festival of festivals', the Hornbill festival, named after a colourful forest bird, coincided with the 60th Nagaland Statehood day celebrations on December 1.

The festival is also a tribute to the great Hornbill, which is an admired and revered bird by the Naga people, for its qualities of alertness and grandeur.

Organized by the Nagaland government's Tourism and Art and Culture department, the Hornbill festival is an opportunity for tourists and guests to get a comprehensive understanding of the Naga people, their land and their rich culture.

According to the officials of the Tourism and Art and Culture department, before the Covid-19 pandemic, an average of 2.5-3 lakh tourists, including 2,500 to 3,000 foreign nationals visited Nagaland to witness the grandeur of the Hornbill festival and related events.

As India assumes the G20 presidency, co-branding activities were being carried out such as the G20 logo being displayed at Naga heritage village, Kisama, which is nearly 12 km from Kohima.

The G20 logo had been inscribed in all programme booklets, banners, cut-outs and publicity materials.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Nagaland Peoples' Organisation, an apex body of seven major tribes in six eastern Nagaland districts, has decided to boycott the Hornbill festival to press for their demand for a separate state of 'Frontier Nagaland'. (IANS)

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