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n order to facilitate tourists to have a glimpse of all the Naga festivals at one time and one place, the Government of Nagaland has evolved a festival called Hornbill Festival, which is celebrated at Kohima, the capital town of Nagaland, since 2000. The Hornbill Festival celebrated between the 1st & 5th of December every year, for a full week. The Hornbill Festival of Nagaland is aimed at reviving and sustaining the richness of the Naga heritage and traditions. Named after the hornbill, a bird that shows up in the folklore of most of the state's tribes, the seven-day festival brings them all together in one giant color-splashed hodgepodge of dances, performances, crafts, parades, games, sports, food fairs and religious ceremonies. The festival exposes the Naga people to their mainland counterparts and reinforces Nagaland's identity as a distinct state in India's federal union.
It has to be mentioned here that though the Hornbill is the state bird of Nagaland, paradoxically, there are hardly any to be seen these days, due to aggressive hunting. The Hornbill can be seen more now in neighboring Assam, where it is a protected species. A bird enthusiast on a visit to Nagaland recently came back disappointed, as there were no birds to be seen apart from the odd crow!
The Hornbill festival is held annually at the Cultural Village constructed permanently for the festival. Most of the year, the model village is relatively deserted except for a few curious visitors and tourists, who browse through the cluster of traditional houses that reflect the architectural styles of the different regions of the state. During the Hornbill festival, however, the place transforms into a bustling carnival. The organizers display good marketing skills similar to those of tourist spots around the world by strategically placing souvenir and handicraft stalls at the entrance and exits of the complex. Directly in front of the shopping complex there is a small arena where the main events are held. There is also a small ground adjoining it on the right, where Naga's try their hands at games of skill. There are a surprising number of gambling stalls, which are crowded with those trying to place a wager on the games.
Once the festival starts, however, one is drawn almost hypnotically to the source of throbbing drums from within the tribal huts. Here there are young boys and girls beat in unison on the hulls of canoes with masks, weapons, pots, pans and other everyday items of a traditional village home. There are also other thatched huts; typical Naga boy's dormitories (morungs) of each tribe are constructed in their respective tribal architectural designs to simulate a real village scene. The morungs are places where young boys learn to socialize and live in a community, where survival skills are taught against the backdrop of head-hunting and the constant fear of wild animals and the enemy. It is a sort of a school where they learn ideals like honesty, bravery as well as arts and crafts like tool-making, carpentry and handicraft making. Here they are also passed down the traditions of their people, their stories, myths and legends. In these modern-day Morungs, the tribes depict their original tribal lifestyles as accurately as possible. Although they don't have the original totem poles or carvings, the ceremony still serves to give an authentic idea of the traditions of the tribes. The sight of tribal dancers, strolling around the village after their performances, adds a touch of authenticity to the setting.
In the arena, tribal dances are numerous, depicting the culture of the many Naga tribes. It is the dances that capture the spirit and essence of the Hornbill festival - a bubbling cauldron filled with Naga heritage and culture, topped off with a liberal helping of good natured fun and laughter. Over the five days, this annual festival showcases the rich diversity of the proud tribes that inhabit this hilly terrain. Handsome young men and dewy-faced young girls dress in their traditional costumes, with necklaces made of animal fangs, body paint and menacing shields set the arena alight with their vivid song and dance performances, with traditional drums throbbing in the background. It is an absolute parade of dance, from the war dances with their whooping chants, hunting party dances, as well as those of depicting the simple tasks of tilling the fields and of the harvest: the initiation of the young into adulthood, and wedding dances.
These are followed by a traditional Naga wrestling competitions; where sturdy, well-built men with firm muscles grip their opponents by the waist band, not unlike the Sumo style, and struggle to flip them over. The other games played in the arena include some comical acts, like a competition where the contestants would attempt to feed each other, while being blindfolded. The results, naturally, are hilarious, and games like this usually have the entire audience in splits.
All the fun and games often lead to a good appetite, which is when one can go to the numerous food stalls around the complex. The food stalls of the festival are worth a visit, with the aromas from the smoky wood-fired kitchens all over the Village getting the digestive juices flowing! Naga's have eating habits that are very exotic to most: they supposedly eat anything - dogs, monkeys, frogs.they are also known to snack on bamboo worms, larvae, snails, practically anything that might have a name and be classified as an animal or insect! (Therefore the lack of wildlife!!) If one is not a meat-lover (vegetarianism is unheard of in Nagaland!) one might want to play it safe and stick to the more mainstream boiled vegetables in spicy sauces, plain rice and various local adaptations of the Indian "dal" or lentil soup. The Naga cuisine includes a lot of chilies, so be sure to wash your meal down with the lightly alcoholic rice beer that is available in plenty during the festival. Nagaland is a dry state (the commercial sale of alcohol is prohibited), so one wonders how rice beer is sold during the festival!!
Once dusk sets on the last day, the festival shifts into a more modern gear, as teenagers spill off the stands into the center of the arena to witness at close range the break dance competition! Psychedelic disco lights flash over the ground and young boys and girls dance till the wee hours. Anyone is welcome to join in and good humor prevails all round. Witness the best of the Nagas at the Hornbill Festival - with their free spirits, ancient and enduring history, tempered with the gentleness of their earthy innocence.
