Sikkim Becomes Partner State for Hornbill Festival 2024: A Cultural Milestone

GANGTOK: Sikkim has been declared a Partner State for the prestigious Hornbill Festival 2024 - an excellent moment of cultural cooperation. The festival is organized every year in Kisama Village, Nagaland, and has been a spectacular parade of Naga traditions.

Sikkim's Chief Minister, Prem Singh Tamang-Golay, officiated this morning a 144-member Sikkimese delegation, along with a car and bike rally, flagged off from Ridge Park on their journey to the festival. The delegation's theme is "50 Years of Statehood," celebrating half a century of statehood for Sikkim and its rich cultural heritage.

The Hornbill Festival is a means through which the Naga tribes celebrate and preserve their tradition while promoting unity in the Northeastern states. In this regard, Sikkim's partnership this year represents the shared heritage and cultural ties within the region as it allows the state to present its distinctive traditions and legacy to a global audience.

The delegation from Sikkim is diversified with self-help groups, bikers, car rally teams, media persons, and departmental officials from the fields of Information & Public Relations, Tourism & Civil Aviation, Culture, and Commerce & Industries. Different social organizations have also taken part in representing the entire mass of Sikkimese culture.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Tamang-Golay said that it is a collaboration between Sikkim and Nagaland in the spirit of unity. "This collaboration speaks for our shared cultural legacy and the spirit of unity among our states. I wish everyone a safe journey and a commendable representation of Sikkim at this prestigious festival," he said.

He advised the team to work as hosts and not as guests, wherein they should not add too much burden on the organizer but should contribute to their maximum capacity to the festival. The Chief Minister requested them to take inspiration from the practices of Nagaland to enrich Sikkim's cultural and developmental initiatives.

It was presided over by prominent officials that included Tshering Thendup Bhutia, Minister for Tourism & Civil Aviation and Commerce & Industries, MLA Delay Namgyal Barfungpa, and other senior officers from key government departments.

Scheduled from December 1 to December 10, the Hornbill Festival is also likely to enhance further the inter-culture linkages that are needed within the states of Northeastern India. As Sikkim acts as a participant, then it supports this sense of diversity and union within that region to observe India's magnificent cultural ensemble.

The Sikkimese delegation, with its vibrant representation, is poised to make a lasting impression at this internationally acclaimed event, bringing the essence of Sikkim to the heart of Nagaland.

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