Hornbill Festival in Nagaland – showcasing its rich culture

Friday, December 7, 2018

If there is one event best showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Nagaland, it is the Hornbill Festival, where all the communities from across the state meet at Naga Cultural Heritage village Kisama to exhibit their unique traditions over 10 days. The festival has evolved over the years and the number of tourists, both domestic and international, having increased significantly since its inception 19 years ago.

A Belgium couple, Eric Gunsbourg and his wife Monique, thinks that the Hornbill Festival is “very nice and exceptionally good.” They decided to visit Nagaland after a friend motivated them with pictures that she had taken during her visit to the festival last year.

The 72-year-old Gunsbourg expressed happiness over getting the chance to witness an “unknown part of India” after two weeks of travel. He felt that there is nothing artificial about the festival but rather “authentic” and “feel roots.”

“We’ll come back for sure,” said Gunsbourg when asked if they would visit the state again.
Majority of the visitors felt that cultural troupes and exotic food are the biggest attractions at the event besides hospitality and ability to communicate with the local people in English. However, they said that improvement in certain areas are needed like road conditions, transportation system and connectivity.

For three tourists from Israel — Yolam, Yael, and Sagi — the traditional and cultural shows reminded them of the Native American. They said this section (traditional and cultural show) was the ‘centre of attraction’.

A couple from Mysore, Jordan and Keerthi, said that “food is very good” and were impressed by the “culture” of the land and friendliness of the locals. “English is everywhere, sign boards everywhere, rice beer is very good and people are very hospitable,” they said. However, they felt that the “pathetic road condition” is a deterrent.

First time visitors Jose Maria, Lorena, and Jusus from Spain said that “landscape is very good; and the food is very tasty but too spicy.”

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