Hornbill Festival in Nagaland village draws 2.39 lakh people
The ongoing Hornbill festival, dubbed ‘Festival of festivals’ at Kisama village in Nagaland which is an annual tourist attraction has seen more than 2.39 lakh people this year, an official said on Monday(December 9).
The Hornbill festival website states that the festival is organised by Nagaland government with the aim of promoting interaction between the various tribes . The festival is name after the hornbill bird which is featured in the folklore of the local tribes. The festival showcases the culture, arts, artefacts, handicrafts and food of Nagaland.
The Hornbill Festival is held every year from December 1 to 10 at the Kisama village in Kohima. Till December 8 (Sunday), 2,39,901 visitors including 2,799 foreigners have visited the festival ground at Kisama, Assistant Director of Tourism Department, Toka E Tuccumi said.
Last year 2,702 foreigners and 37,500 domestic tourists visited the festival while this year already 2,799 foreigners and 49,674 domestic tourists have visited till Sunday (December 8), Tuccumi said. A total of 76,645 visitors, including 192 foreigners, 22,464 domestic tourists and 54,989 locals thronged the picturesque village to witness the festivities on Sunday(December 8), the official said.
Also read: Nagaland govt decides to discontinue Hornbill International Rock contest
Union Ministers Jitendra Singh and Kiren Rijiju visited the Hornbill Festival on Saturday (December 7). Singh said participation of such a large number of people has not only boosted the economy but also enthused young Start-Up groups from across India to explore avenues of entrepreneurship and livelihood in this region.
Singh attributed the huge success of the event to the personal outreach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “who had brought Northeast to national focus in the last five years”.
Singh, the Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region hoped that Nagaland through the Hornbill festival will become the “torchbearer” of the new cultural journey of North East.
Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the festival depicted the rich cultural heritage of Naga people and he also tried his hand at cooking ethnic Naga food and tried the guns made by Konyak tribes.
Shri. @KirenRijiju, Hon'ble Union Minister of States for Sports and Youth affairs graced the #HornbillFestival2019 at #kisama today 7th Dec 2019. #ekbharatshresthabharat@mygovindia @Neiphiu_Rio @YanthungoPatton @Hkhehoviy @tournagaland17 @dipr_nagaland pic.twitter.com/SULGjLbJ8R
— MyGov Nagaland (@MyGovNagaland) December 7, 2019
“People across the world have started to study the Hornbill festival,” he said, adding that the Hornbill festival is a rare occasion where everyone can enjoy the ethnicity of the Nagas at one place.
Abu Metha, advisor to the Chief Minister of Nagaland thanked Rijiju and the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh for attending the festival and appreciated the performers from Arunachal Pradesh in his tweet.
Our neighbors and friends from #ArunachalPradesh performing at the #HornbillFestival of #Nagaland. Such beauty and grace. ThankYou @KirenRijiju & @PemaKhanduBJP for the participation. You have added colour and diversity. @Neiphiu_Rio @temjentoy @tournagaland17 @incredibleindia pic.twitter.com/SI0GkKFNqs
— abu metha (@abumetha) December 7, 2019
(with inputs from agencies)
