Nagaland's Hornbill Festival to feature performance by K-Pop band Mont, chilli eating competitions

The State Tourism and Arts and Culture departments of Nagaland will host the 18th annual Hornbill Festival from 1 to 10 December, which is held to commemorate Nagaland Formation Day and protect the culture of the state. The festival is named after the hornbill bird, common in folklore across Naga tribes. Although the state is primarily Christian, an agrarian calendar is followed for occasions, with tribe-specific holidays. So, the Hornbill Festival provides the state’s various tribes with an opportunity to come together and celebrate their rich diversity, giving it the apt moniker ‘festival of festivals’. [caption id=“attachment_5642301” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Facebook/HornbillFestival[/caption] Earlier, the week-long event was primarily held in the heritage village of Kisama, but as the festival grew over the years, events spilled out to Nagaland’s capital Kohima and the Agri Expo in Dimapur. Popular events, which are held every year, include the Miss Nagaland beauty pageant, craft and food expos, the Naga chilli eating competition, and the Hornbill literature festival. In 2007, the Hornbill international rock contest and music festival were also introduced, and became two of the most attended events of the festival. This year’s schedule includes a photo fest in Kohima, heritage walks in Kisama, shooting competitions, craftscapes, and a meet up for budding writers. For those unable to handle the heat of the chilli eating competition, the pineapple eating competition may be a better alternative. Those who need rest could catch the one-act play being performed on day 5, or drop by Naga Chef to play judge for the dessert competition. The Hornbill International Music festival has a special treat planned for K-Pop fans, with K-Pop band Mont set to perform on 4 December. The first day of the music festival will kick off Unleashed, for the best upcoming bands in Nagaland, and second day will feature Christian bands in an event titled Praise Sunday. All the proceeds from Praise Sunday will go to charity. A guitar ensemble of Naga guitarists will take over the stage on 3 December, and Meghalaya-based blues-rock band Soulmate will perform on 9 December. 24 bands, five of which are from Nagaland, will compete in the Hornbill International Rock Contest. The contest and the music festival have been organised by LiveNow events, and will be hosted by the frontman of Nagaland’s Lord of Rocks, Clement Imsong. The music festival will end with an EDM night, with Ukranian DJ Siana Catherine. More details about the Hornbill Festival can be found on its website