Kohima, (Samajweekly) Showcasing traditional and diverse culture and vibrant life of the region , the 10-day-long 24th edition of Hornbill Festival began at the picturesque Naga heritage village Kisama on Friday.
With the beating of Naga gongs, sounding of log drums, traditional war cry and gunshots, the annual Hornbill Festival, named after the colourful forest bird, commenced coinciding with the 61st Nagaland Statehood Day celebrations.
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President J.P. Nadda and many other leaders greeted the people of Nagaland on the occasion.
The US, Germany and Columbia are the country partners while Assam is the partner state for this year’s edition of the festival.
Organised by the state Tourism and Art and Culture department, the Hornbill Festival displays the northeastern state’s deep-rooted traditions and its rich cultural heritage in all its ethnicity, diversity and grandeur.
The festival is also a tribute to the great Hornbill, a bird revered by the Naga people for its alertness and grandeur.
For the tourists and guests, it is an opportunity 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, thousands of tourists from various parts of the country and abroad visit Nagaland to witness the festival.
US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis, Colombia Ambassador to India, Victor Echeverri Jaramillo, and German Consul General, Kolkata, Barbara Voss, attended the inaugural function as guests.
Nagaland Governor La Ganesan and Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio were the chief host and host, respectively.
The Chief Minister said that German rock band ‘ELM Tree’ will perform at the Hornbill Music Festival, while the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, Kolkata, will screen well-known German films at the Film Festival.
“Nagaland will also host a German business delegation for a round-table with the Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN).
“We are looking forward to a great Hornbill Festival and hope this partnership will strengthen collaboration between the two countries as we look forward to greater bilateral ties and increased people-to-people contact with Germany,” Rio added.
Meanwhile, the influential Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) has decided to participate in the Hornbill Festival this year. ENPO, the apex tribal organisation of eastern Nagaland, had boycotted the Hornbill Festival last year in protest against non-fulfilment of their demand for a separate state — ‘Frontier Nagaland’ — for the seven Naga tribes of eastern Nagaland.
Highlights of the 10-day festival include daily performances of 18 cultural troupes, sales of local products, handloom and handicrafts, artworks, horticulture, traditional stone pulling ceremony, film festival, photo fest, night carnivals, heritage walk, kids carnival, sports fest etc.
Extended events of the Hornbill Festival will also be held in Khezhakeno, Zunheboto, Doyang and Peren.
