Distraught Shaun The Sheep fans fearing the demise of their woolly hero can rest easy. Despite the hashtag #RIPShaunTheSheep trending globally on Twitter today (6th November 2011), Shaun is alive and well and not cancelled or dead or shuffled-off in any way
In fact, Muslims are today celebrating Eid-al-Adha, a religious holiday commemorating the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son, to be spared by God from doing so at the last minute and being given a ram to sacrifice in his place.
During the celebrations, slaughtered animals (they can be cows, goats, sheep or camels), also known as ‘qurbani’ are distributed amongst family, relatives and the poor and needy.
The TV Series Shaun The Sheep has a huge following in the the Muslim world, in the Middle East and in Indonesia in particular, so the RIP hashtag is actually an Indonesian joke to say that Shaun The Sheep has been made into a ‘qurban’.
Thanks to @itsKaeBee for the explanation. Apparently this joke is a belter in Indonesia! We’re just happy that they love Shaun ...
