Nagaland, the land of colourful festivals

Nagaland is one gorgeous mountainous northeastern state in India. Also known as the Land of Festivals, the state is home to a number of indigenous tribes, who celebrate vibrant and colourful festivals. This is one of the best ways for the tribes to celebrate their culture and tradition.

The Naga tribes keep celebrating something or the other all the time of the year, which is simply amazing. Visit the state anytime of the year, chances are you’ll get to witness one of the colourful festivals here.

Let’s checkout some of the most awesome festivals of Nagaland.

Hornbill is probably one of the most famous festivals that is celebrated in Nagaland. The festival attracts thousands of visitors from across the globe, it’s so good! Originally started in the year 2000 by the government of Nagaland, the festival‘s prime motive was to promote inter-tribal cooperation. Nagaland celebrates Hornbill Festival every year from December 1 to 10 in the Naga Heritage village, which is some 12 km from the capital city Kohima. This is the time to relish local dishes and enjoy ethnic dance performances.

This particular festival is celebrated by the Tangkhul Naga tribe. The event marks the New Year and seed planting and the celebrations begin on the full moon in the final week of January every year and lasts until the first week of March. The Nungbi Khullen village celebrates the fest from the 27th to 31st January.

The Mon District in Nagaland celebrates the Aoleang Festival, which is another very prominent festival of the state. The festival is celebrated by the Konyak tribe that, during this time, prays to the Almighty for a successful harvest. It also marks the beginning of a new year. There’s a lot of dance and music and good food the whole time. The festival is celebrated between February 25 and March 5 every year.

It’s a traditional Angami tribe festival having an immense religious significance. The festival is celebrated every year around February 25, and lasts 10 to 15 days. The tribe in Kohima celebrates the festival to cleanse their spirits and bodies. The first day of the festival is dedicated to elderly when they apply holy water while the second day is for youngsters of the community.

Another prime festival that Nagaland celebrates with much vigour and enthusiasm is the Hega festival. The Zeliang community celebrates this festival every year in the month of February, wherein they pray and thank god for his blessings. It’s also one of the famous harvest festivals in Nagaland and young couples come together to seek the blessing of the Almighty mostly.