25 Mesmerizing Pics Of The Hornbill Festival That’ll Make You Add Nagaland To Your Bucket List

Nagaland is a state rich in culture and is divided into 16 tribes – Ao, Angami, Chang, Konyak, Lotha, Sumi, Chakhesang, Khiamniungan, Dimasa Kachari, Phom, Rengma, Sangtam, Yimchunger, Thadou, Kuki, Zeme-Liangmai (Zeliang) and Pochury.

Each tribe has a penchant for vibrancy in their songs, dance and traditions, some songs praising the brave deeds of ancient warriors and folk heroes, love songs that immortalize tragic love stories, gospel songs, and folk tunes.

What is Hornbill Festival?

The Hornbill festival, as the name suggests, in a way, is also a tribute to the Hornbill, a bird that is beloved to and admired by the Naga people for its alertness and grandeur. This majestic bird is bound closely with the social and cultural life of the people, as is evident in tribal folklores, dances and songs and also the exotic headgears worn by the tribes during the festival.

The Nagaland government in a bid to make the rest of India aware of the culture – rich state brought together all 16 states and started the Hornbill Festival.

When does it happen?

It’s organized every year between the 1st – 5th of December.

Where does it happen?

The Hornbill festival is organized in the Kasima village of Nagaland that is 26 km from Kohima.

How to get there:

If you are travelling from outside Nagaland, you can reach Kohima via rail, road or air. Once you reach Kohima, you can drive down to Kasima while you enjoy the scenic beauty of Nagaland on the road trip.

Sujay Das shares his wonderful experience and these breathtaking photos of the festival and it will definitely make you want to add the Hornbill Festival to your bucket list.

1. Welcome to our nest

 

2. Be your own kind of beautiful

 

3. We are the dreamers of tomorrow

 

4. Everytime I dance, I turn into a better version of me

 

5. It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see

 

6. The eyes are the windows of the soul

 

7. A good friend knows all your best stories

 

8. We’re always the same age inside

 

9. Without music, life would be a mistake

 

10. The lord is with me, like a mighty warrior

 

11. The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts

 

12. I am enough

 

13. Surround yourself with love

 

14. Happy girls are the prettiest

 

15. A smile is the best makeup

 

16. Hornbills!

 

17. Tradition is not to preserve the ashes, but to pass on the flame

 

18. Dance like no one’s watching

 

19. When in doubt, wear red

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20. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before

 

21. Life is so much brighter when we focus on what truly matters…

 

22. In defeat, unbeatable. In victory, unbearable.

 

23. You and me, forever please?

 

24. Some kisses are given with the eyes

 

25. Red is the real color of rebirth. Of beginning.

Nagaland and the Hornbill Festival is now in my bucket list. 

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