Churachandpur, August 9: The 8th Tangmai Festival (Cucumber Festival) 2025, initiated and organised by the Young Paite Association (YPA) GHQ, was held today at the YPA GHQ Hall, Hiangtam, Lamka, Churachandpur, drawing thousands of people who enjoyed a cucumber feast.
A formal programme was held at the YPA Hall, where YPA GHQ president Lianmuanthang Valte delivered the keynote address as volunteers distributed sliced cucumbers. In past editions, the event was attended by state ministers and supported by the Manipur Horticulture Department, but not in this edition.
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The festival aimed to highlight the cultural importance of cucumber to the Paite tribe in particular and the tribal communities in general, promote its marketability, and encourage farmers ahead of the main paddy harvest later this year.
Valte expressed his wish to make the Tangmai Festival a state-level event, noting that efforts towards this goal were stalled by the ongoing crisis in Manipur. He also encouraged farmers to cultivate more cucumbers, citing their medicinal value.
For this year’s edition, over 7,000 cucumbers were procured from Zodawn and other interior villages of Guite Kual, particularly Kaihlam and Lungthul areas. Cucumbers were served as a feast to the public, with some sold at subsidised rates.
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