Nagaland Hornbill Festival: A cultural classroom without walls

Winter has settled in the hills in December and the intensity of the dancers, the hypnotic drumbeats, and the earthy resonance of folk songs of the Hornbill Festival of Nagaland creates an atmosphere that is both primal and poetic.

- RATAN BHATTACHARJEE

Held annually from the 1st to the 10th of December at the Kisama Heritage Village near Kohima, the festival has become a cultural bridge linking history with contemporary life, local communities with global audiences, and oral traditions with modern forms of expression. Equally captivating is the display of traditional attire. But in recent years, the Hornbill festival, though rooted in cultural context, has evolved to incorporate contemporary forms of expression. The big question is whether this is diluting its cultural core as it is happening to Bihu in Assam and Durga Puja in Bengal or other cultural festivals of India. Modern music concerts, rock performances, and fusion acts have become integral components of the festival's evenings. Nagaland's strong rock music scene finds a prominent platform during Hornbill, attracting youth from across the region and beyond. Many are justifying the blending of tradition with modernity and they believe that the festival still reflects a dynamic cultural confidence—the ability to honor ancestral roots while embracing global influences.