The Hornbill festival is a celebration held every year in the first week of December, in Nagaland, North-east India. It is also called as the 'Festival of Festivals' and is named after die Great Indian Hornbill, the large and colourful forest bird which is displayed in folklore in most of the state's tribes. The Hornbill Festival provides a colourful mixture of dances, performances, crafts, parades, games, sports, food fairs and religious ceremonies. The festival both exposes the culture and tradition of tribal peoples, and reinforces Nagaland's identity as a unique state in India's federal union.

Photo: Vikramjit Kakati