Meitei-lon (মৈতৈলোন্), also Meitei-lol (মৈতৈলোল্) and Manipuri (মনিপুরি) (and sometimes, the 19th century British term, Meithei (মৈথৈ), which is the name of the people, not of the language), is the predominant language and lingua franca in the southeastern Himalayan state of Manipur(মনিপুর), in northeastern India. It is the official language in government offices. Meitei-lon is also spoken in the Indian states of Assam and Tripura, and in Bangladesh and Burma (now Myanmar).

Meitei is a Tibeto-Burman language whose exact classification remains unclear, though it shows lexical resemblances to Kuki and Tangkhul Naga.

Meitei-lon has proven to be a large integrating factor among all ethnic groups in Manipur who use it to communicate among themselves.

Meitei-lon has been recognized, as "Manipuri", by the Indian Union and has been included in the list of scheduled languages (included in the 8th schedule by the 71st amendment of the constitution in 1992). Meitei-lon is taught as a subject up to the post-graduate level (Ph.D.) in universities of India, apart from being a medium of instruction up to the undergraduate level in Manipur.

The Hornbill Festival is a celebration, held every year in the first week of December, in Nagaland, north-east India.

The tribes of Nagaland celebrate their festivals with gusto and fervor. More than 60% of the population of Nagaland depends on agriculture and therefore most of their festivals revolve round agriculture. They consider their festivals sacred and so participation in these festivals is compulsory.

Nagaland is known as the land of festivals, as each tribe celebrates its own festival with dedication and passion. Some of the important festivals celebrated by the Naga people are:

To encourage inter-tribal interaction and to promote cultural heritage of Nagaland, the Government of Nagaland organizes the Hornbill Festival every year in the first week of December.

Organized by the State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments, Hornbill Festival showcases a mélange of cultural displays under one roof. This festival usually takes place between the 1st and the 7th of December every year in Kohima.