The most well-known celebration in Nagaland, if not all of Northeast India, is the Hornbill Festival. The ideal time to visit Nagaland and learn about all of its tribes is now. In addition to providing information on what to do during the Hornbill Festival, this guide will also offer helpful advice on how to get there and where to stay if you decide to visit Nagaland for the Hornbill Festival. In life, some things just resolve themselves. without requiring any work from you. One such occasion in your lives of travel can be the Nagaland Hornbill Festival.
The top things to do in Hornbill Festival 2023 are-
Explore the Morungs in Hornbill Festival 2023-
At the Hornbill Festival, exploring the Morungs is arguably the best activity. Early in the day, right before shows begin, is the ideal time to visit them. When the performers dress up, you can take some beautiful pictures of them. But before taking any pictures, please ask them. Despite the fact that there are many pictures in the ground, it is not explicitly permitted to take pictures.
Well, young males are taken to the Morungs, which are communal areas in Nagaland communities. The young Naga boys learn about their village and tribe’s history, traditions, and culture at these Morungs. They pick up the skills necessary to sing and dance.The folklore, folktales, and historical accounts are passed down to the new generation in mungs. The young lads not only learn the fine arts, but also the art of war and hunting. Their practise area is the Morungs. The Morungs are the venues where these guys learn important life lessons and where ideals are ingrained in their heads.
Every Naga village takes great pride in the Morungs, which are often found in the centre of the village. Each tribe constructs a temporary Morung during the Hornbill Festival. These makeshift communities were built for the tribal people, where they portray their way of life for us to see and understand. The Morungs are spread out over various levels of a surrounding hilly terrain. Each hamlet has a traditional hut constructed of wood, hay, and bamboo. The Morungs’ entrance is embellished with emblems, animal skulls, or tribal weapons. The name of the tribe is shown in front of each hut, along with some details about the tribe, the settlement, and their culture. Such conventional homes were also visible in a Mizo tribe community in Reiek. You may notice local elders gathered around a central fireplace within the Morungs.
Converse with people of different tribes –
Talk to the various tribal communities while you are visiting a Morung. Pose questions to them. Inquire about their way of life, culture, earlier years, and headhunting days. All of them will be delighted to speak with you and share some fascinating tales about themselves. The first day of the Hornbill Festival is when you should engage in social interaction. The first day’s cultural acts often take place in the evening, and everyone is upbeat. It will be simpler to start a dialogue with them. View the communities’ rehearsals before they perform.
Before enacting it in front of the audience, the communities practice their performances and moves at the Morungs, so that you can capture the practice session on camera.
Enjoy the traditional and cultural performances –
The Hornbill Festival’s cultural performance may be its main draw. The tribes alternate days performing traditional dance and music on the festival grounds. You must not miss this opportunity.
Each tribal community performs its traditional dance while making a brief explanation of the dance and the celebration it is part of. It could be a celebration, harvest, wedding, battle, or triumph dance. The dancers are decked out in vibrant clothing and dazzling headpiece.
All barriers are broken down by the folk dances and their equally varied accompaniment. The flawless choreography will captivate and astound you as a viewer. You’ll realise why the Hornbill Festival is known as the Festival of Festivals!
The traditional dances from Nagaland and other northeastern states are both featured at the Hornbill Festival. In the amphitheatre of the Hornbill Festival, dances from Assam and Meghalaya, including the Bihu and the Manipuri, are performed. The presentation as a whole is gorgeous to look at!
Taste the local Naga Food at Kisama Village-
Some of the purposes you travel is for the food. After all, consuming the cuisine of a place is equivalent to sampling its culture. The Hornbill Festival honours traditional Naga fare. And besides, Nagaland is a foodie’s heaven, particularly for meat eaters.
You can sample the authentic Naga food cooked by each of the tribes at the Morungs in Hornbill Festival. In fact, you can interact with the elderly while dining inside a traditional Morung and sit with them. The newer today’s generation understands English and will gladly act as the interpreter, so languages is not much of a problem!
The Morungs have their own food stands, as was previously indicated, and you may embark on your own culinary excursion right here at the Hornbill Festival.
Additionally, the Hornbill Festival hosts a number of food competitions, such as a pig eating contest and a chilli eating contest. You can also attempt for the pork eating contest and should try tasting a fresh Naga chilli just for fun. For your culinary journey, a range of foods are offered, including pig preparations, chicken with bamboo shoots, brown rice, several types ofisce cakes, beef pickles, and a variety of chutneys and pickles. Naga foods are super delicious and very tasteful.
Try the local Rice Beer –
After enjoying the delicious Naga meal, wash it all down with a cup of regional rice beer. Although alcohol is prohibited in Nagaland, you can still drink at the Hornbill Festival. Enjoy the native rice beer, which is the preferred beverage there. It is also reasonably priced. You will love the taste and the click of flavours it gives. This is the local drink that is popular throughout and especially is home made.
Enjoy the Music and Concerts –
Not mentioning the music of the Hornbill Festival would be extremely unfair. Western music is well-known in Nagaland. In fact, rock music is popular throughout the Northeast. There will also be some rock music acts at Hornbill Festival.
The Great Hornbill Rock has replaced the Hornbill International Rock Contest, which has been terminated since 2019. Rock bands from all across India used to participate in it and compete for a good reward when it was formerly hosted at the Hornbill Festival location. Regular concerts will still take place in Kisama, while Kohima will host many events at other locations.
Shop for trinkets-
Nagaland is a vibrant region. There is a burst of colour everywhere since there are so many different tribes and their vibrant costumes. The Morungs sell their handmade goods and original artwork during the Hornbill Festivacolorfulhandmade items are pretty lovely, and purchasing them directly benefits the locals. So don’t be afraid to treat yourself to a few trinkets.
Naga beaded jewelry –
The Nagas have numerous ornaments on them. The majority of them are constructed of beads, wood, silver, brass, ivory, and animal bone. Many cultures have a long history of hunting, and they use dyed animal hair to decorate themselves. Even though you can’t purchase bone jewelry, you can buy and test a piece of bead jewellery.
Naga clothes and shawls –
The Nagas dress in very colourful garb. Their ethnic attire is produced with consideration for their historical heritage. Additionally, headgear and clothing are made from hornbill feather colors 16 tribes all wear distinctive clothes.
Shawls from the Naga people can make stunning mementos. Each tribe’s shawls have a distinctive pattern. The design of the shawl also represents the wearer’s place in the community. Looking at the shawl the person is wearing will help you determine his or her social standing.
The shawls sold to tourists do not necessarily need to be as ornamental, even if Naga shawls are highly interesting because they weave the fabric of society as well. The Naga Shawls are typically well-crafted and produced in vivid colours.
FAQ
What was the purpose of the Hornbill Festival?
The festival’s purpose is to celebrate Nagaland’s rich culture, preserve it, and showcase its extravagance and customs. It helps tourists have a deeper knowledge of Nagaland’s people and culture.
When did the Hornbill Festival start?
In Nagaland, the Hornbill Festival was first observed in 2000. The Hornbill Festival has been showcasing Nagaland’s rich cultural heritage to both Indians and visitors for 21 years. The diverse cultural legacy of each Nagaland tribe is on show, and this has a significant impact on the state’s tourism industry.
Is Hornbill Festival Safe To Attend ?
Of course! Hornbill Festival is safe to attend. People all across the world come to attend this gorgeous festival that is held for 10 days. It’s known to be one of the biggest festival in India where all the tribes come together to showcase their culture, cuisines and tradition. Every evening there is a music concert and the crowd is known to be the safest in Nagaland.
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