Every December, in the far east of the Indian subcontinent, a glorious celebration of light, winter and pristine Naga culture comes alive!
Titled ‘The Hornbill Festival’, this state-sponsored ten day event’s main aim is to promote inter-tribe interaction as well as the rich and varied cultural heritage of the Nagaland. In addition to that a contemporaryΒ Hornbill Rock Festival is hosted in Kohima, where the best of bands battle each other for a grand prize and some serious street cred. Adventure car rallies, chilli eating contests and quirkyΒ events are also part and parcel of this glorious celebration.
The Hornbill Rock Festival also hosts Hornbill International Rock Competition,Β which has earned the reputation of being a launchpad for many promising bands.
Let’s delve a little deeper, shall we?
1. 16 Naga tribes and their 16 dances.
Nagaland’s cultural diaspora consists of 16 major tribes (and countless sub-tribes) whose rituals, practices and ways of life are quite interestingly different and the similar at the same time. Each community spends the majority of their time, making a life for themselves in the hills of Nagaland and can be distinguished from each other by their intricately designed costumes, jewellery and beads. Their traditional tribal dances are robust with rhythm, and are often warrior rituals more than anything else. The Hornbill festival does a wonderful job of bringing all these tribes together to show the people of Nagaland and the world, the traditional intricacies of obscure tribes.
“Organised by the State Directorate of Tourism every year between December 1 and 5 in Kohima since 2000, the festival is intended to revive, protect and preserve the richness and uniqueness of the Naga heritage and attract tourists. The festival, in a way, is also a tribute to the hornbill, a bird most admired by the Naga people for its qualities of alertness and grandeur. This majestic bird is linked closely with the social and cultural life of the people, as is evident in tribal folklores, dances and songs. The awe and admiration for the bird is symbolically displayed on almost all traditional tribal headgears worn during festivities.”
2. The games, fanfare and revelry
Held during the most opportune and beautiful time of the year, Hornbill brings many other rituals, activities and customs of Naga tribes to the forefront. Named as a tribute to the Hornbill bird, the festival literally and figuratively spreads its wings, effectively forming a melange of cultural display.
Apart from the energetic tribal performances, traditional arts also plays a major part in this festival, be it indigenous craft, food fairs, rural games and oddly pleasant ceremonies. Paintings, wood carvings and sculptures are especially popular among attendees, so if you ever do end up visiting Kohima during this festival, do pick up one of the various artifacts at the traditional Naga Morungs Exhibition.
Out of the indigenous games, be sure to check out – traditional archery, Naga wrestling, car rallies, chilli eating contests and the various flower shows.
3. TheΒ Food
Ethnic Naga cuisine is quite the gastro-adventure for people who love meat. Ingredients that form the basis of the food are usually red meat (especially pork) and fish, which are often smoked, dried or fermented. Even though each tribe has particular styles of cooking, recipes are happily interchanged. Naga food is notorious for being quite spicy, as the land produces a variety of hot chillies, which are all used in Naga cooking. Even the ginger used in the food is spicy and has a different aroma.
The Bhut JolokiaΒ or the ghost pepper cultivated especially in Nagaland, happens to be the world’s hottest chilli and is used quite often in day to day cooking. To laud the spice, the festival Β hosts a chilli eating contest, where this ingredient happens to be its major protagonist and antagonist.
4. The night bazaarΒ
Kohima city comes alive especially during the night bazaar, aimed at bringing people together to enjoy good food, music, the crisp winter air and each other. Targeted at families looking for a fun time out, the bazaar is an all-out carnival, with rides, a giant shopping area, food and lantern-lighting areas. People often come dressed in contemporary costumes to contribute to the general revelry.
5. The Hornbill Rock Competition
As the crown jewel of the festival, The Hornbill International Rock Competition has earned the much deserved reputation of being a launchpad of many promising bands.Β By offering prizes ranging from Rs 30,000 to a whopping Rs 10,00,000,Β the competition encourages entries from India as well the neighbouring countries, South East Asia and even Australia to participate. Two years ago, Kolkata-based band Underground Authority, took away the Rs 10,00,000 prize which was used to produce their debut album. Nagaland may pride itself for its various indigenous cultures, but let us not forget its ardent love for rock and roll.
