An official said on Tuesday that preparations for the legendary Hornbill festival, which will be held with great grandeur this time after two years of restrained celebrations, were in full swing in Nagaland. The festival will be held from December 1 to 10 at Naga Heritage Village in Kisama, about 12 kilometres from the state capital of Kohima, according to H Khehovi Yepthomi, counsellor for Tourism and Art & Culture.
On Monday, Yepthomi presided over a coordination meeting with tribal hohos to discuss preparations for the festival, the state government’s annual tourism marketing event that brings together the Naga tribes. The festival, which began in 2010, will be in its 23rd year. The celebrations were cancelled in 2020 and 2021, but Yepthomi promises that this year’s Hornbill Festival would be a spectacular affair with fresh ideas and themes.
Due to the pandemic, the event was held for nearly three days in 2020, however the festival was cancelled midway last year following the massacre of residents at Oting in Mon district. The Hornbill Festival, which has gained international attention, promotes Nagaland and its tribes’ rich and colourful culture, according to Yepthomi. He asked the tribal hohos or organisations in Kisama to begin mending their morungs (huts) and preparing for the event, saying that everyone should contribute to its magnificent success.
According to him, Kisama Heritage Village is planned to look like a map of Nagaland, with tribal morungs assigned based on their geographical location. He stated that now that the Tikhir tribe has been recognised as a prominent tribe, a spot has been set aside for them to establish the 18th morung. Nagaland now has 18 recognised main tribes. The seven tribal hohos of the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) did not attend the meeting on Monday, citing negligence during the festivities. They have also stated that they will not attend the Hornbill Festival. Yepthomi stated that the administration will communicate with ENPO officials about the problem soon. “We hope they will join in the festivities,” he said.
(source : PTI)
