Hornbill festival of Nagaland, an annual tourism promotional extravaganza of the Tourism Department, today got off to a colourful start with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today declaring open the 10-day long event.
Modi, wearing a traditional Naga headgear, opened the Hornbill Festival by beating the traditional Naga gong three times at the picturesque Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, some 12 km south of the state capital.
Coined as the "Festival of Festivals", Hornbill (name of a revered bird by the Nagas), is an opportunity to enjoy the Naga life and culture in their entirety and also the different Naga cuisine under a single roof for 10-days.
Notably, it is also supported by the Union Government as one of the biggest indigenous festival of the country and tourism promotional activity, the festival commenced with the mammoth gathering - local visitors, domestic and foreign tourists and the VVIPs raising up for the National Anthem.
Chief Angh ('king') of Mon village, Wangyeih Konyak invoked the traditional blessing followed by colourful presentation by various artists.
A sizable number of tourists from abroad and other parts of the country are here to witness the festival termed as the "Window to Nagaland".
The attraction of the day was the 'Naga King Chilli' eating competition.
Besides the festivities at Kisama, which would be showcasing the rich culture and tradition of Nagas during the next nine-days, visitors can also enjoy Hornbill International Rock Contest at Indira Gandhi Stadium and also seek live performance of the legendary band from England, Smokie, on December 3.
Revellers can also enjoy Kohima Night Carnival and various competitions, besides the cultural performance of the Naga tribes throughout the remaining nine-days.
