The Gavle Goat - Gävle Christmas Tradition

Gävle, Sweden

Every year, at the start of the Advent, or Christmas Season, the citizens of Gävle, Sweden, build a 13-meter-tall wooden goat on the town’s main square. It is supposed to stand there until Christmas Day. The tradition started in 1966, when Stig Gavlén, a local advertising consultant, had an idea to create a public Christmas celebration. He wanted to move the traditional building of wooden goats from homes onto the main square. The Local Fire Department built it. However, the tradition of destroying the Goat before Christmas is what made the Gävle Goat special. That gained it fame around the world.

Gavle Goat

Destruction of the Gavle Goat

Throughout its 50-year-long history, the Gävle Goat was destroyed 34 times. Most often, it is destroyed by means of fire, which is ironic, as the goat is traditionally built by the local Fire Department. In 2001, an American tourist burned it because he was told by some locals that it is a part of the tradition. In 1998, it was burned by local vandals during a blizzard, which is not an easy thing to do. The funniest burning of the Goat, however, took place in 2005, when a group of people dressed as Santa Claus and Gingerbreadmen, shot flaming arrows at it. It was not always destroyed by fire, though – in 1976 a student drove a Volvo into it, while in 2010, a group of students from Stockholm attempted to steal it using a helicopter. In 2016 it was burned less than 24 hours after it was built.