According to the Dictionary of Acehnese-Indonesian Language, ceumeulho is derived from the word lho, which means the process of stepping (by legs). For instance, lho naleung means stepping on the grass into the ground or mud when cutting down the grass in planting paddy. Therefore, ceumelho pade means stepping paddy by legs in order to keep apart the rice grains from its straw. In the past, it was indeed carried out by the traditional way, using legs. The Acehnese people stepped on a pile of dried paddy after the harvest period. In addition, they held a stick in hand to facilitate the process. As a result, the paddy slowly released the rice grains from the dried straw tied.
During its progress, ceumeulho pade has become a livelihood for some Acehnese people, particularly after the period of harvesting paddy. However, the process of ceumeulho pade is no longer done by manual-use of human legs. It was replaced by the approaching of ceumeulho pade machine. The people left the traditional way. At first, the machine has an iron wagon-shaped, which was coated with zinc. In the harvest moment, the people could push it to the middle of rice field since it had a wheel pair of rubber tire. Currently, the machine for ceumeulho pade has modifications and transformations.
Nevertheless, the service for ceumeulho pade is seasonal work, precisely at the time for harvesting paddy. The workers will come to the rice field, where the dried haystack is located. In Seulimum, Great Aceh, ceumeulho pade workers are from the Sub-district of Blang Bintang or other areas outside of Seulimum. They will stay and settle in the village until they finish their work. The duration for ceumeulho pade depends on the numbers of haystack and the extent of the rice field. It is started from the morning to evening, which takes few days. Ceumeulho pade is also determined by the number of paddy owned by the farmers. Therefore, it is done in groups.
When ceumeulho pade is started, the workers will split the roles. Commonly, one man is in charge or lifting the tied paddies into the haystack. He then put those next to the ceumeulho pade machine over the wide tarpaulin. It is spread to hold the rice coming from the machine, so the product will not spill on the ground. Meanwhile, one man takes the tied paddies and puts those one by one into the machine. Next, another worker waits next to the machine for the rice grains coming. He has a duty to tidy up the grains that have been separated from the tied straws after being shredded by the machine. The second mentioned worker should be do his work carefully since his hands are vulnerable to be shredded by the machine.
In doing their work, the ceumelho pade workers wear long sleeve shirt, long pants, gloves, and mask for their mouth and nose. Those are created from the remnants of clothes. They have to use those clothing in order to avoid smooth paddy dusts called beudeueng. The dusts are from the brans and straws flown when the workers lift the paddies into the machine. If the dusts land over the skins, it certainly may cause itches.
Furthermore, there are several ways to pay the service of ceumeulho pade. Some workers are paid by money. Besides, numerous workers also ask for the rice resulted from the process. Sometimes, either money or rice is given after the farmers sell the rice in the post-process of ceumelho pade. Nonetheless, the payment is very depending on the agreement between the farmers and the workers, whether in the form of paddy, rice, or money.