President Prabowo Allocates Rp72.75 Billion for Aceh's Meugang Tradition

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto has disbursed aid worth Rp72.75 billion to support the Meugang tradition in Aceh ahead of Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijriah/2026, focused on communities in areas affected by natural disasters.

The Indonesian government’s Communication Agency (Bakom) in its official broadcast in Jakarta on Thursday quoted a report from the Task Force for Accelerating Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (Satgas PRR), stating that the aid is being distributed to 1,455 villages spread across 19 districts/cities in Aceh Province.

As of Tuesday (17/3), North Aceh Regency received the largest allocation, covering 391 villages, followed by Aceh Tamiang Regency with 210 villages and Central Aceh Regency with 161 villages.

The government is providing this aid to ensure that Aceh’s communities can still carry out the tradition of slaughtering cattle (Meugang) amid the recovery process following flash floods and landslides that struck the region at the end of November.

This assistance also serves as a symbol of solidarity from the central government to the people celebrating Eid amid the recovery period.

With this latest disbursement, the total government aid for supporting the Meugang tradition in Aceh throughout 2026 now stands at Rp145.5 billion.

Meugang is a longstanding tradition among Aceh’s people involving the slaughtering of cattle or buffalo as an expression of gratitude and to honour major Islamic holidays ahead of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha.

This cultural ritual provides an opportunity for extended families to gather and enjoy meat dishes together, while also serving as a means to strengthen social solidarity through the distribution of meat to less fortunate residents.