Naga Heritage Village at Kisama - The Main Venue of Hornbill Festival Nagaland

Naga Heritage Village at Kisama - The Main Venue of Hornbill Festival Nagaland

Hornbill Festival is held at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama which is about 10 Km from Kohima where each Naga tribe have their "Morungs" (traditional huts) setup where visitors witness mélange of cultural displays all under one roof, an opportunity to experience the food, songs, dances and customs of Nagaland. The aim of the festival is to revive and protect the rich culture of Nagaland and display its extravaganza and traditions. 

The main arena is located on the slope of a hill. The main area includes a platform and open area for performances, and galleries for viewers to view the various event performances. This is how the arena looked like in 2014.

About Hornbill Festival Nagaland: 

Nagaland is a hilly state in the North East of India and is home to several tribes (Officially 16 recognized tribes). Each tribe have their own distinct festivals. Most of these festival are argiculture and harvest related as most Nagas depend on agriculture. 

The Hornbill Festival is a celebration held every year from 1 to 10 December, in Nagaland, Northeast India. Hornbill Festival started from the year 2000. It is also called the 'Festival of Festivals'. The festival is organized by the State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments of the Government of Nagaland.

Festival highlights include the Traditional Naga Morungs Exhibition, folk dances, folk songs, traditional practices demonstrations, sale of Arts and Crafts, Food Stalls, Flower shows and sales, Fashion shows, Beauty Contest, Naga wrestling, Indigenous Games, and Hornbill International Rock concert. During the festival, Night Carnivals are organized in several places around Kohima and Dimapur where people can enjoy street food, outing with kids, and shop.

In 2014, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Hornbill Festival 2014.

Top View of Naga Heritage Village, Kisama

Seen in the photo are the World War II Museum, Main Area in the middle and the traditional huts (Morungs) of the tribes in the right side of the Arena.

 The Morungs at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, Kohima

Besides the main performance arena, there are Naga Huts (Morungs) of all the tribes of Nagaland built there. From there, each Naga tribe showcase their cultural attires, folk songs and dances, and also food. Visitors can visit the Morungs and interact with the locals.

 Cute Little Church at the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama

There are various event held at different venues during the Hornbill Festival. 

The main cultural events are held at the Naga Heritage Village in Kisama. Whereas, some musical events at held at Regional Centre of Excellence for Music & Performing Arts (RCEMPA) located at Jotsoma, Kohima. 

The Hornbill Rock Festival / Music Festival is also held at different locations. But it is now no more. 

A tourist interact with a Lotha Naga girls at Lotha Morung,  Naga Heritage Village, Kisama

 Angami Morung at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama

Categories: Hornbill Festival Nagaland, Naga Heritage Village Kisama, Naga Men ,Naga traditional dress , Naga Women