Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, January 05 2010:
Tangkhuls' annual festival "Chumphut Phanit" related with taking out grain from the granary for the first time from Hongmahn Tangkhul village in Imphal east district.
Interesting event of the celebration was the auction of rice, turmeric, pan, sugarcane and orange at an exceedingly higher prices.
In the bidding, a pack of ten orange cost Rs 450 (at the rate of Rs 45 per orange), Rs 250 per sugarcane stick and Rs 300 per turmeric.
Fund collected from the auction will be deposited in the account of the village authority for utilization in the next festival, according to the villagers.
The celebration of the indigenous festival of Tangkhul tribe of Manipur which comes once in a year was attended by Chingsubam ongbi Khumanleima of Meetei National Front and editor of the Hueiyen Lanpao (Meetei Mayek Edition), Meisnam Shivdutt Luwang as special invitees.
Chief of the village, Akhui Jimik revealed that the village has been holding the festival for the last nearly six decades and this year is the 59th celebration in his village.
The festival entails aprayer to almighty for blessing to the villagers to enable them to store plenty of food in their granary.
On the eve of the festival, male villagers will hunt for animal in the forest which will be scarified to the almighty on the festival day after which a grand feast will be organised.
On this day, inter-village sports meet were also held, he added.