Photo: Daniel Bernstål
Sweden
Gävle Goat Survives Holiday Season Again
For the second straight year, the Gävle Goat survived the entire holiday season.
The Gävle Goat (or Gävlebocken) is a 42-foot high straw goat constructed each year in the Swedish town of Gävle. A symbol of the Christmas season, it attracts Swedes and visitors from around the globe – that is if it isn’t destroyed by fire, car or other means.
In 2016, on its 50th anniversary, it was burned to the ground less than 24 hours after it was unveiled.
But thanks in large part to added security the past two years, the Gävle Goat made it through the holidays and purposefully was taken down on Jan. 2. By our count, that marks the 27th time since the tradition started in 1966 that the goat has seen the New Year.
