《雅加达邮报》6月25日讯 对于亚齐人来说，牛肉是斋月拉开帷幕前一天最受欢迎的食物。

Custom: A woman buys beef at a stall for meugang, one day before the start of the Ramadhan fasting month.

For Acehnese people, beef is the most sought-after meat a day before the holy month of Ramadhan kicks off.

On Wednesday morning, more than 12 butchers were busy serving shoppers at their booths in the coffee shop- and food stall-lined area along Jl. T. Nyak Arief in Kuta Alam district, Banda Aceh.

The food stalls and coffee shops, which mostly operate 24 hours, were closed that day.

Big hunks of fresh beef lying on wooden tables and hung on metal hooks under tarps attracted passersby to visit. They continued to flock to the shops for meat throughout the day.

“Today [June 17], we are celebrating meugang,” said butcher Usman Amin.

Meugang is a tradition that remains in Aceh, which is home to more than 4.8 million people.

In this tradition, people stay at home, cooking beef and enjoying it with family members to welcome the holy month in the 58,376-square-kilometer province, located at the north-western tip of Sumatra.

Beef can be replaced with buffalo or goat meat. “Chicken is not allowed,” Usman said about meugang, which is also held a day before Idul Fitri and Idul Adha.

Chop: Butchers prepare cuts of beef in makeshift shops at roadsides during meugang.

According to the Koran and Sunnah, Ramadhan is good news for Muslims because God will multiply rewards for those who worship Him. Therefore, it is a special month for people in Aceh, the only sharia-based province in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.

For the occasion, Usman slaughtered five cows in a slaughterhouse at Peunayong traditional market, which is around 7 kilometers from Jl. T. Nyak Arief. He did not remember how many cows were slaughtered at the house, but he said that there could be hundreds.

Meugang is the event Usman has been waiting for because rising demand of beef makes the price higher than usual.

For the occasion, one kilogram of beef was sold at Rp 150,000 (US$11), up 50 percent from Rp 100,000 on previous days.

Usman said that such prices were also applied at other spots in the city, such as Peuniti market in Baiturrahman district and Lamnyong market in Syiah Kuala district.

Early meat: Butchers tend to their shops, which open as early as 5 a.m.

Usman served 12 buyers as of 9 a.m., four hours after he and other butchers set up the booths.

The price did not stop local people from shopping for beef. “It [the rising price] is not a problem because meugang has been our tradition for a long time,” said housewife Fatimah.

Fatimah is just like other local people, who believe that the tradition has existed since Sultan Iskandar Muda led Aceh Darussalam Sultanate from 1607 to 1636. He slaughtered cattle and distributed them to the poor to thank God for the prosperity.

At home, Fatimah usually serves beef in a number of popular local dishes that could last several days, such as curry, smoked beef, rendang (beef stewed in coconut milk) and dendeng (dried beef jerky).

She said she cooked the dishes in bulk and shared them with her neighbors to tighten friendships and fraternity.

Like Fatimah, North Aceh-based Malikussaleh University lecturer Al Chaidar said he enjoyed the experience of meugang.

Chaidar has been performing the tradition since he was little in his hometown of Lhokseumawe, southeast of Banda Aceh.