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Malay Culture

Home > Malay Culture > Traditional Ceremony > Other Malay Traditional Ceremonies > Meugang; A Year We Work, Today We Eat

Meugang; A Year We Work, Today We Eat

1. The Origin

The Aceh people are keen to preserve and practice their local tradition in term of welcoming Islamic moments such as Ramadhan, Eid-ul-Fitr, and Eid-ul-Adha. Such a tradition of welcoming Islamic days is easily found in other provinces in Indonesia, but there are some principle differences. For example, there is padhusan in Central Java, Balimau Bathing in both Riau and West Sumatra provinces, and Marpangir in South Tapanuli; but in Nangroe Aceh Darussalam, people enthusiastically attend a celebration called Meugang to get some kilograms of beefs.

Meugang, or some people spell it Makmeugang, Memeugang, Haghi Mamagang, Uroe Meugang, and Uroe Keumeukoh is a series of activities from buying, cooking, and consuming beefs. It is usually conducted three times in a year; two days prior to Ramadhan, Eid-ul-Fitr, and Eid-ul-Adha. It requires beefs as the main ingredient, but some people use other kinds of meat such as goat, chicken, and duck meats as well.

Amir Hamzah, a prominent figure in the studies of Aceh, states that the tradition was formerly known as Makmeugang. “Gang” alone is a local word that means “market,” where butchers sell beefs hanged on a hollow bamboo. The market was quite empty in ordinary days; but it turned crowded two days prior to Ramadhan, Eid-ul-Fitr, and Eid-ul-Adha, as the Aceh people massively went to the market for buying beefs. For that reason, a local phrase “makmu that gang nyan” (the market is so crowded) became famous, thus “Makmeugang” is known to be Meugang (http://www.acehfeature.org).

Another opinion on the origin of Meugang, according to Hamzah, reveals that Meugang has emerged since the arrival of Islam in Aceh in the 14th Century. Some Islamic clerics suggested that all people had to welcome the Ramadhan as well as the two Islamic days, with happiness. This is in-line with the teaching of Islam stating that all Muslims must be happy during the Islamic days such as Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. The Aceh people were pretty happy to eat beefs on the special day Meugang, because they used to eat sea foods in ordinary days. In addition, the day of Meugang was also the moment for the officers of Aceh Sultanate to pay the zakat to the ordinary people. They gave beefs to the ordinary Aceh people for charitable purposes.

Ali Hajsmy in his book Kebudayaan Aceh dalam Sejarah explains the process of distributing the zakat as follow. The treasurer of Balai Silaturahim, a what so-called Public Relations in the modern age, gathered the zakat from the sultanate officers upon approval from the sultan of Aceh Darussalam Sultanate. After that, all the charity from Balai Silaturahim were sent to Balai Baitul Fakir, a division on the Aceh Sultanate concerned with the zakat distribution, to be distributed to widows, disabled, and poor people. When Indonesia fell to the Dutch colonials, this tradition kept going on; even a policy of freeing all its workers on the day of Meugang was issued by the Dutch colonial government (Hasjmy, 1983: 151).

During the Dutch colonials rule, the day of Meugang, which was customarily celebrated one or two day(s) prior to the Ramadhan (29th or 30th of Sha`ban) was the time for the sultan to make a royal gathering involving his ministers, officers, and Islamic ulemas. Meugang, which was centered at the Daud Karunia Palace, began with the bestowal of a honoured clothes to the sultan by Syahbandar Seri Rama Setia. Syahbandar Seri Rama Setia also used to stock some garlands to be put in the mausoleum of Aceh Sultanate`s rulers at the time (Hajsmy, 1983: 151). The description about the atmosphere of Meugang at the Dutch`s occupation is also described by Lombard (2007: 204-205).

The Aceh people have discerned the way of pickling beefs since long time ago as the consequence of many cows slaughtered in a day. Thus, the knowledge of preserving beefs is a must so that it can be consumed in the following days. Their own way of pickling beefs, according to Snouck Hurgronje (1997:175), has been discovered by the Aceh people since the occupation of the Dutch colonials. The Aceh soldiers used to stock themselves with enough pickled beefs when they were conducting guerrilla war against the Dutch.

Meugang has been integrated fully with the socio-cultural life of the Aceh people. Far before the day of Meugang, the gampong (kampong) people conduct a gathering in meunasah, a hall where adult people usually gather to accomplish a prayer and to hold a meeting on socio-cultural life. In meunasah, those people hold meuripee to decide the amount of ripee (money) that should be paid by every single family to buy some cows in the day of Meugang. When the day of Meugang comes, all the cows bought using the money from all society members are slaughtered, and the meats are distributed equally to all society members.

In the further development, the Aceh people do not greatly depend on meuripee as now, some of them prefer buying beefs in the market. When the day of Meugang is coming ahead, the Aceh people buy some beefs in a large number; hence the price of a kilogram beefs creeps up highly, around 300-400%. A number of the “sudden-butchers” increase; and the market turn crowded as well.


A traditional market, where a number of the “sudden-butchers” make the market become very crowded

Not only do the Aceh people get beefs through meuripee, but also from Meugang Kantor. That is an effort from the government of Nangroe Aceh Darussalam, including those at provincial and regency levels, to provide the beefs for its workers in the day of Meugang, as if it follows what Aceh Darussalam Sultanate did in the past. As well, there is also Meugang in education institutions wherein students, teachers, and other employees get the beefs from the schools where they work at.

After the tidal wave of tsunami hit Aceh in 2004, the Aceh people kept preserving and conducting Meugang. At that time, several non-governmental institutions stocked abundant beefs for the tsunami victims.

2. Time and Place

Meugang tradition is held three times customarily in a year, usually two days prior to the Ramadhan, Eid-ul-Fitr, and Eid-ul-Adha. Each time has its name: Meugang Puasa, a Meugang of welcoming the Ramadhan; Meugang Uroa Raya Puasa, Meugang of celebrating victory after accomplishing the fasting during the Ramadhan; and Meugang Uroe Raya Haji, Meugang of welcoming Eid-ul-Adha.

Meugang`s venues are chosen upon the agreement reached from a prolonged deliberation during meuripee. Meugang Kantor may take place at governmental offices; and Meugang Gampong is usually held in public fields. When the beefs distribution completes, the Aceh people go home and cook the beefs at home.

3. The Way of Performing

a. The Way of Getting Beefs

Amongst the Aceh people, the ways of getting beefs can be vary as listed follows:

1. Meugang Gampong     

Meugang Gampong begins with a prolonged discussion, or locally known as Meuripee. Meuripee is held to decide the amount of ripee (money) that should be paid by every single family to buy some cows. The meuripee members then appoint someone, usually an adat leader, to be a Teungku Meunasah.

A Teungku Meunasah bears responsibilities for driving the meuripee forum so that all the decisions drawn from meuripee will not be a burden for certain people. Likewise, he has to appoint some people to execute the slaughtering on the day of meugang. In addition, those who slaughter and dice the beefs will receive their returns in the form of cow`s neck, head, and skin. The remaining parts of the cows are then divided equally to all families in a kampong. When each family has received its own meat, thus they begin cooking and holding Meugang at home.

2. Meugang Kantor

As its name, “kantor” meaning “office,” this kind of Meugang takes place in either governmental or non-governmental institutions. It means that the Aceh people`s working places would provide beefs – even some give a sum of money – for its employees.

3. Buying at the Nearest Market

Another option for having beefs to celebrate Meugang is buying the beefs at the nearest markets. Sure it will require some amount of money to buy around 1 to 10 kilograms of beefs. In fact, several days before Meugang is coming, the price of a kilogram beefs would be much more expensive than ordinary days.

b. Cooking and Pickling the Beefs

When all families have received their beefs, either through Meugang Gampong, Meugang Kantor, or buying at the nearest market, the Aceh people return homes to cook the beefs. Most of them cook the meat into randang, gulay, and curry. On this special moment, aromatic beefs smell covers the entire Land of Aceh, thus is called Sie Meugang (a pleasant smell of Meugang meat).


Kinds of foods that are mostly found during the day of Meugang

The remaining parts of the meat are preserved in vinegar, brine or mustard to be consumed in the following days. The Aceh people spread the meat out in the sun to dry and put some salt on the meat in order to pickle the meat. As well, some of them manage the meat into Sie Tho, a kind of vinegary-meat typically Aceh. Sie Tho is made through cutting the meat into small cubes then cooking them in vinegar and some other ingredients. Such a way of pickling the meat enables the meat to be consumed in several days ahead after the day of Meugang is over.

c. Tasting Foods on the Day of Meugang

All family members gather in living room and taste the various delicious foods mainly using beefs as the main ingredient. As the side dish, they chew betel vine, or locally known as Pojoh Ranup, for neutralizing the mouth from meat smell, and making ease the process of digesting food.

4. Values

Amongst the Aceh people, there is a local proverb saying, “Si thon ta mita, si uroe ta pajoh,” (a year we work, today we eat). Such a saying is the representation of their happiness; that the day of Meugang is the day when they enjoy their works for a year. Likewise, they are happy to welcome the coming of the Ramadhan, Eid-ul-Fitr, and Eid-ul-Adha. Therefore, the celebration of Meugang can be said to bears some values mentioned below:

a. Religious value

Meugang of welcoming the Ramadhan is an expression of the Aceh people`s gratitude upon the coming of the most blessed month Ramadhan. As well, Meugang of celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr is the time when all Aceh Muslims would be celebrating their victory after successfully accomplishing the fasting during the Ramadhan. Meugang of welcoming Eid-ul-Adha, for the Aceh people, is a means of expressing their gratitude because they would be celebrating Eid-ul-Adha.

From those three kinds of Meugang, the merriest Meugang is at the Meugang of welcoming the Ramadhan. That is because the Aceh people believe that the Ramadhan is the time for enjoying their wealth they have pursued and gathered for about eleven months.

b. Charity

Meugang can likewise become a means of holding out the hands of the poor. Since the era of Aceh Darussalam Sultanate, Meugang had been known to be the time for giving the zakat to the poor, especially from the sultanate officers to the ordinary Aceh people. In the present, the Aceh rich people deploy Meugang as efforts to help those in need. For some politicians who are under the political campaign, Meugang can be a medium to boost the number of voters. For the poor, especially beggars, the day of Meugang is the time to beg for kindness from the butchers.

c. Togetherness

Meugang has seemingly become an “obligation” for the Aceh people. No matter how expensive the beefs`s price is, they would continuously attempt to buy it, and celebrate it along with their relatives and families. Consequently, schools, offices, and working places are on days off. As well, those earning for living outside of Aceh would return to their homeland in Aceh. In another words, Meugang can also become a means of strengthening kinship ties.

d. Respecting parents and teachers

For a just-married man, he has a “burden” to show his parents-in-law that he is capable of fulfilling the needs of his own family. One of the efforts to show this capability is presenting beefs to his parents-in-law on the day of Meugang. Not only does a just-married man who bears the burden, but the students of madrasas suffer from such a “burden” as well. For them, the day of Meugang is the time to show their respect to their teachers and surrounding adat leaders. 

5. Conclusion

Meugang has clearly shown the Aceh people`s way of welcoming the Ramadhan, celebrating the victory on Eid-ul-Fitr after accomplishing the fasting during the Ramadhan, and expressing their gratitude towards the coming of Eid-ul-Adha. Meugang is likewise a means of strengthening both the kinship ties and social network through a series of activities ranging from buying or slaughtering and cooking the beefs, and celebrating the feast of Meugang with relatives, families, and other society members. Besides, another impact of Meugang is the increase of trade-and-sell activities amongst the Aceh people, thus improve their earning.

Lukman Solihin (bdy/01/02-09)

Translated by Irfan Nugroho (ter/104/02-09)

Photo credit: Panoramio.com

References:

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