DIMAPUR: The 23rd Hornbill Festival came to a close at the main arena, Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, near Kohima in Nagaland, on Saturday night with 1,17,753 tourists and visitors thronging the 10-day “festival of festivals”.
Adviser to Nagaland tourism and art and culture department – Khehovi Yeputhomi said post-pandemic, the Hornbill Festival recorded an overwhelming number of visitors and tourists alike.
Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio and chef Gary Mehigan, author, restaurateur and one of the original judges of Master Chef Australia, lit the Hornbill bonfire at the closing ceremony of the festival.
The Unity Dance, representing the Naga tribes, marked the closing ceremony. A cultural presentation “Made in Nagaland” was also performed on the occasion.
Events such as Naga Chef Season 9, HIPFEST, chicken coop making competition, Naga thali eating competition, catapult target competition, flower, fruits, vegetable and spices competition, first-ever Kisama art gallery, etc. were held during the festival.
Also, live demonstrations of traditional Naga bamboo sliver and mat making, traditional wood carving, and artists working on their art were carried out for the audience to experience the Naga way of life in person.
This year, the festival witnessed cultural performances by various cultural troupes from Nagaland and outside.
Addressing the gathering, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio thanked the people of the state, the cultural troupes and artists who had come from all parts of the state, and the tourists and visitors for their valuable presence during the festival.
He requested the tourists and visitors to be ambassadors of the unique Naga experience so that more people will experience the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland in the coming years.
Greeting the people at the closing ceremony, Supreme Court Judge Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said the Nagas are known not only for their bravery but also for their hospitality and warmth which he experienced during his stay in Nagaland.
Calling Nagaland as the “Land of Festivals”, he hoped Hornbill Festival will bring people together from all across the globe and create a sense of unity in diversity.
Justice Kaul, who was accompanied by his wife, termed the customary laws and traditions of the Nagas as unique, which are protected under the Constitution of India.
He, as the executive chairman of the National Legal Services Authority, assured the people of Nagaland that access to justice for all will be provided.