Nagaland hosted Hornbill Festival 2020

Nagaland is hosting the first virtual celebration of Hornbill Festival 2020. The festival will start from December 1, 2020 and will conclude on December 5, 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

About Hornbill Festival

• Hornbill Festival is celebrated every year from December 1 to December 10 in the state of Nagaland.
• The festival is also called as the ‘Festival of Festivals’.
• The festival was first held in the year 2000.
• It has been named after the Indian hornbill.
• It is organized by the State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments.
• The Festival is held at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama.

Aim of the festival

The festival is celebrated with an aim to revive and protect the rich culture of Nagaland. The festival display its traditions.

Why this festival is celebrated?

Nagaland is home to a number of tribes. Thee tribes have their own distinct festivals. Around 60% of the population depends on agriculture so most of the festivals there revolve around agriculture. In the line, the Hornbill festival is celebrated to encourage the inter-tribal interaction. It is celebrated to promote the cultural heritage of Nagaland.

The Great Hornbill

It is also known as concave-casqued hornbill, great Indian hornbill or the great pied hornbill. This hornbill is one of the larger members in the hornbill family. They are found in found in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Indonesian Island of Sumatra, Mainland Southeast Asia and North eastern region of India.

Nagaland’s 58th Statehood day

December 1 also marks the celebration of the Statehood Day of Nagaland. This year, Nagaland is celebrating its 58th Statehood day. The state had became the 16th State of the Union of India on December 1, 1963. The then President of India, Dr S. Radhakrishnan, had formally inaugurated the state.