'Secret' plan to protect Gavle Christmas goat from arsonists

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Yes, it's that time again; time for the annual Gävle Christmas goat.

The who-what?

The Gävle Goat (Swedish: Gävlebocken) is a traditional Christmas display erected annually at Slottstorget (Castle Square) in central Gävle, Sweden. It is a giant version of a traditional Swedish Yule Goat figure made of straw. It is erected each year at the beginning of Advent over a period of two days by local community groups, and has become famous for being destroyed in arson attacks during December. Despite security measures and the nearby presence of a fire station, the goat has been burned to the ground most years since its first appearance in 1966. As of December 2016, the goat has been damaged 37 times.

Since 1986 there have been two Yule Goats built in Gävle: the Gävle Goat by the Southern Merchants and the Yule Goat built by the Natural Science Club of the School of Vasa.

'Secret' plan to protect Gävle Christmas goat from arsonists

The Local
[e-mail]
@thelocalsweden
4 December 2017
08:43 CET+01:00



The Gävle Goat on opening day. Photo: Mats Åstrand/TT

A giant straw goat less famous for spreading Christmas joy and more famous around the world for its unfortunate tendencies to get burned down has been erected in the town of Gävle.

Gävle residents celebrated the 13-metre goat and the start of Christmas season with sparkling fireworks (at a safe enough distance from the straw beast) and music performances on Sunday.

Good morning from the land of Christmas! ❄️😍☃️ #gävlebocken

Link to tweet

On Monday morning it was still standing when The Local checked the town's live goat web camera, but the odds are stacked against it. Since it was first built in 1966 its reincarnations have only survived 14 times, been burned down 30 times and stolen or vandalized seven times. Last year it got burned down only hours after the opening, when one of the security guards went on a toilet break.

"We will have cameras and two security guards in place. We have also put up double fences around the goat, which we hope will make it harder for those who want to carry out sabotage," Gävle municipality spokesperson Maria Wallberg told news agency TT about this year's plans to protect the goat. ... She declined to reveal if other security measures are in place. ... "It's secret."



People admiring the giant straw goat. Photo: Mats Åstrand/TT

[jpak]

1. How is the The Birth of the Baby Jebus related to a Giant Swedish Hay Goat?

[Donkees]

2. Ancient solstice rebirth symbol ...

The Yule goat’s origin is lost in the mists of time, though it likely dates back at least one thousand years, when it was associated with the he-goats Tanngrisnir (“Gap-tooth”) and Tanngnjóstr (“Tooth-grinder”), who pulled Thor’s chariot and provided food for the god and his friends (Thor frequently slaughtered and ate Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr, knowing they’d be returned to life the following morning).

In Sweden, as part of an ancient midwinter celebration called the juleoffer (“Yule sacrifice”), a man dressed in goatskins and carrying a goat-head effigy portrayed one of Thor’s goats. He was symbolically killed but returned to life exactly as the sun does at Yule.

http://www.storey.com/article/yule-goat/

[irisblue]

3. Do you remember the Christmas Lobster in Love Actually? similar maybe

[jmowreader]

4. It's a Swedish thing, you wouldn't understand

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_Goat

I think they should embrace the Burning of the Goat.