Welcome, Goat (or Sheep or Ram)!

I can’t stop thinking about this goats’ sequences when the Chinese New Year was approaching this year. In Indonesia we refer the year as goat rather than sheep or rams. (If you’re not quite sure which to refer, CNN has explained it here.)

The “Rolling Goat” is a celebration meal. It serves goats’ roasted meat and with sweet soy sauce, hot chilli pepper, and shallots for weddings. Well, not just wedding but any sort of parties is expected to serve them. My family takes this “rolling goat” as a way to tell if the catering service is a good one. Yep, we’re judgemental and all that.

It must’ve been interesting being goats in Indonesia. They appear in a spectrum of representation. They represent wealth in a way that if you have a lot of herds, then you’re wealthy. So in rural areas, it’s still a mean of treasure and wealth. They represent manliness because somehow eating their meat could increase your libido – and more concretely, cholesterol and there are goats in parts of Indonesia that is raised and taken care for to take parts in goats fights. So yes, manliness and power, I suppose. In Islam, goats represent sacrifice. It’s the animal that people bring to be given for Idul Adha celebration. Mosques would received goats (and cows too, but cows are more expensive) from believers and distribute the meat to the poor or those in need.

This image and intro is a tribute to them. Happy Chinese New Year!