About Nagaland Statehood Day
Nagaland Statehood Day marks 1 December 1963, when Nagaland was inaugurated as the 16th state of the Indian Union, with Kohima as its capital and P. Shilu Ao as its first Chief Minister. In 2026 it falls on Tuesday, 1 December 2026. Since 2000 it has also been the opening day of the ten-day Hornbill Festival at Kisama Heritage Village near Kohima.
Nagaland Statehood Day marks two things at once: the day Nagaland became a full state of the Indian Union, and the terms on which it did, written into the Constitution as Article 371A. Both are worth understanding before you write to someone from the state.
Why is Nagaland Statehood Day celebrated on 1 December?
Nagaland Statehood Day falls on 1 December because Nagaland was formally inaugurated as a state on 1 December 1963, becoming the 16th state of the Indian Union. Parliament had passed the State of Nagaland Act in 1962, and Kohima was named the capital.
The road there was long and often violent. After 1947 the Naga National Council, led by A. Z. Phizo, demanded a separate political future for the Naga people, and the Indian Army was deployed in the Naga Hills in 1955. A group of Naga leaders who sought a settlement within India formed the Naga People's Convention. In 1957 the Naga Hills district and the Tuensang area were combined into a single administrative unit, and in July 1960 the Convention and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru agreed on a 16-point agreement under which India recognised Nagaland as a full-fledged state.
- 1955Army deployed
Violence in the Naga Hills follows the Naga National Council's demand for a separate Naga political future.
- 1957Naga Hills Tuensang Area
The Naga Hills district and Tuensang are joined as one unit after talks with Naga leaders.
- July 196016-point agreement
Nehru and the Naga People's Convention agree on statehood within India.
- 1962Parliament acts
The State of Nagaland Act passes, and the 13th Amendment adds Article 371A to the Constitution.
- 1 Dec 1963Nagaland inaugurated
The 16th state is born, with Kohima as capital and P. Shilu Ao as Chief Minister.
- 11 Feb 1964First elected Assembly
The first Nagaland Legislative Assembly is constituted.
P. Shilu Ao, the first Chief Minister, was born in 1916 in Longjang village in present-day Mokokchung district. He had been part of the Naga People's Convention team that drafted its resolution and met Nehru, and he signed the agreement. He served from 1 December 1963 until August 1966.
Statehood did not end the Naga political question. Not every Naga group accepted the 1960 settlement, and the question of Naga political aspirations has been argued ever since. The state government marks the day officially, but people's feelings about it vary, and it is worth knowing that before you write.
What does Article 371A protect?
Article 371A of the Constitution, added in 1962 for the new state, is the heart of the statehood bargain. It says that Acts of Parliament on four subjects do not apply to Nagaland unless the Nagaland Legislative Assembly passes a resolution to adopt them.
| Area protected | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Religious and social practices | The religious and social practices of the Nagas |
| Customary law | Naga customary law and procedure |
| Justice | Civil and criminal justice decided according to Naga customary law |
| Land | Ownership and transfer of land and its resources |
The land clause is the one most often cited, because it gives the state Assembly the final say on whether national laws on land and resources apply in Nagaland at all.
How is Nagaland Statehood Day celebrated?
Nagaland Statehood Day opens the state's busiest fortnight. The state government marks the day officially, and the same day the Hornbill Festival begins at Kisama Heritage Village, about 12 km south of Kohima.
The Hornbill Festival was started by the state government in 2000 to bring all of Nagaland's communities together in one place and to promote Naga heritage. It runs from 1 to 10 December and is organised by the Department of Tourism and the Department of Art and Culture. At Kisama, traditional morungs, or community houses, are on show, and the ten days include folk songs and dances, indigenous games and Naga wrestling, craft and food stalls, and a music programme now billed as the Hornbill Music Festival. See Hornbill Festival. Because every community is present, it is also a place where people from distant villages meet who otherwise might never cross paths.
For visitors, the Kohima War Cemetery on Garrison Hill is part of the same trip. It holds 1,420 Commonwealth graves from the Battle of Kohima in April 1944, some of them on the Deputy Commissioner's old tennis court, where the fighting was closest.
Nagaland is home to 15 major Naga peoples and two other communities, the Kuki and the Kachari. English is the official language, and Nagamese, a creole, is the everyday link language between communities. About 88 per cent of the people are Christian, most of them Baptist, so Statehood Day also opens the run-up to Christmas, and many December greetings roll the two together.
What to write on Nagaland Statehood Day
Do
- Name something specific: Kohima, a district, the Hornbill Festival, a friend's own community.
- Use a person's own tribe name, such as Ao, if they use it; it means more than "Naga" or "Northeastern".
- Keep messages to officials and colleagues neutral and short.
Avoid
- Don't lump Nagaland with "the Northeast" as if it were one place with one culture.
- Avoid words like "exotic" or "primitive" about Naga dress, food or customs.
- Don't make political claims about the Naga question in a greeting; views differ sharply within the state.
Happy Statehood Day. Wishing you and everyone at home a good start to December, and a front-row seat at Kisama this year.
Warm wishes on Nagaland Statehood Day. Hope you get to go home for Hornbill and Christmas.
Happy Nagaland Statehood Day. I know you're missing home food and the Kohima cold. Next December, we'll go to Hornbill together.
Happy Statehood Day. Being far from home in December is hard. Call your family, find the other Naga students in town, and celebrate properly.
Warm greetings on Nagaland Statehood Day. May the year ahead bring peace, good harvests and good health to your village and your family.
Wishing you a happy Nagaland Statehood Day and a successful Hornbill season.
- Morung
- A traditional Naga community house; Kisama displays the morungs of Nagaland's communities.
- Kisama
- The heritage village near Kohima where the Hornbill Festival is held.
- Nagamese
- A creole used as the common language between Nagaland's communities.
- Article 371A
- The constitutional provision protecting Naga customary law, practices and land.
- Naga People's Convention
- The body of Naga leaders who negotiated statehood with Nehru in 1960.
Other North-Eastern states have their own days: Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura Statehood Day in January and Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram Statehood Day in February. Assam Day falls the day after Nagaland's.
How to wish someone on Nagaland Statehood Day
A good Nagaland Statehood Day wish is about the people and the land, not about "exotic" costumes. Mention Kohima, a district, the Hornbill Festival, a friend's own tribe or village, or the food they miss when away. Keep it warm and respectful, and keep politics out of it: Naga views on statehood and the wider Naga political question differ, and a simple greeting of goodwill is always safe.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + regional language.
When is Nagaland Statehood Day in 2026 and 2027?
Nagaland Statehood Day is on 1 Dec every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
When did Nagaland become a state?
Nagaland was inaugurated as a state on 1 December 1963, becoming the 16th state of the Indian Union. Parliament had passed the State of Nagaland Act in 1962, following a 16-point agreement reached in 1960 between Prime Minister Nehru and the Naga People's Convention.
Who was the first Chief Minister of Nagaland?
P. Shilu Ao was the first Chief Minister of Nagaland, serving from 1 December 1963 to August 1966. He was a member of the Naga People's Convention and one of the signatories of the agreement that led to statehood.
What is Article 371A?
Article 371A is a special provision in the Constitution for Nagaland. It says no Act of Parliament on Naga religious or social practices, customary law, justice under customary law, or ownership and transfer of land and its resources applies to Nagaland unless the state Assembly decides so by resolution.
Why does the Hornbill Festival start on Nagaland Statehood Day?
The Hornbill Festival runs from 1 to 10 December, so it opens on Statehood Day. The state government started it in 2000 at Kisama Heritage Village near Kohima to bring all of Nagaland's communities together and showcase Naga heritage.
What languages are spoken in Nagaland?
English is the official language of Nagaland, and Nagamese, a creole, is the common spoken language between communities. Most of Nagaland's communities also have their own language.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .