The Gävle Goat (Swedish: Gävlebocken, in Swedish pronounced as /ˈjɛ̌ːvlɛbɔkːɛn/) is a traditional Christmas display erected annually at Slottstorget (Castle Square) in central Gävle, Sweden. The display is a giant version of a traditional Swedish Yule goat figure made of straw. It is erected each year by local community groups at the beginning of Advent over a period of two days.[1] [2]
The Gävle Goat has been the subject of repeated arson attacks; despite security measures and a nearby fire station, the goat has been burned to the ground most years since its first appearance in 1966. 42 out of 58 goats have been destroyed or damaged in some way. Burning or destroying the goat is illegal, and the Svea Court of Appeal has stated that the offence should normally carry a 3-month prison sentence.[3]
Since 1986, two separate Yule goats have been 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.
The Gävle Goat is erected every year on the first day of Advent, which according to Western Christian tradition is in late November or early December, depending on the calendar year. In 1966, an advertising consultant, Stig Gavlén (1927–2018),[4] came up with the idea of making a giant version of the traditional Swedish Yule Goat and placing it in the square.[5] The design of the first goat was assigned to the then chief of the Gävle fire department, Gavlén's brother Jörgen Gavlén. The construction of the goat was carried out by the fire department, and they erected the goat each year from 1966 to 1970 and from 1986 to 2002. The first goat was financed by Harry Ström. On 1 December 1966, a 13m (43feet) tall, 7m (23feet) long, 3-tonne goat was erected in the square. On New Year's Eve, the goat was burnt down,[6] [7] and the perpetrator was found and convicted of vandalism. The goat was insured, and Ström got all of his money back.[7] [8]
A group of businessmen known as the Southern Merchants (Swedish: Söders Köpmän) financed the building of the goat in subsequent years. In 1971, the Southern Merchants stopped building the goats. The Natural Science Club (Swedish: Naturvetenskapliga Föreningen) of the School of Vasa (Swedish: Vasaskolan) began building the structure. Their goat was around 2m (07feet). Due to the positive reaction their Yule Goat received that year, they built another one the following year and from then on.[9] The Southern Merchants began building their own goats again in 1986.[7]
The cost for the 1966 goat was 10,000 Swedish kronor (SEK) .[10] The price tag for constructing the goat in 2005 was around SEK 100,000. The city pays one-third of the cost while the Southern Merchants pay the remaining sum.
The display has become notable for being a recurring target for vandalism by arson, and has been destroyed many times since the first goat was erected in 1966.[11] Because the fire station is close to the location of the goat, most of the time the fire can be extinguished before the wooden skeleton is severely damaged. If the goat is burned down before 13 December, the feast day of Saint Lucia, the goat is rebuilt. The skeleton is then treated and repaired, and the goat reconstructed over it, using straw which the Goat Committee has pre-ordered.[10] four people had been caught or convicted for vandalizing the goat.[12] In 2001, the goat was burned down by a 51-year-old American visitor from Cleveland, Ohio, who spent 18 days in jail and was subsequently convicted and ordered to pay SEK 100,000 (US$;) in damages. The court confiscated his cigarette lighter with the argument that he clearly was not able to handle it. He stated in court that he was no "goat burner", and believed that he was taking part in a completely legal goat-burning tradition. After he was released from jail he returned to the US without paying his fine.[13] [14]
In 1996, the Southern Merchants introduced camera surveillance to monitor the goat 24 hours a day. On 27 November 2004 the Gävle Goat's homepage was hacked, and one of the two official webcams changed.[15] One year, while security guards were posted around the goat in order to prevent further vandalism, the temperature dropped far below zero. As the guards ducked into a nearby restaurant to escape the cold, the vandals struck.[16]
During the weekend of 3–4 December 2005, a series of attacks on public Yule Goats across Sweden were carried out; the Gävle Goat was burnt on 3 December. The Visby goat on Gotland burned down, the Yule Goat in Söderköping, Östergötland was torched, and there was an attack on a goat located in Lycksele, Västerbotten.[17] [18]
The Christmas season of 2006 marked the 40th anniversary of the Gävle Goat, and, on Sunday 3 December, the city held a large celebration in honor of the goat. The Goat Committee fireproofed the goat with "Fiber ProTector Fireproof", a fireproofing substance that is used in airplanes. In earlier years when the goat had been fireproofed, the dew had made the liquid drip off the goat. To prevent this from happening in 2006, "Fireproof ProTechtor Solvent Base" was applied to the goat.[19] [20] [21] [22] Despite their efforts, the goat has been damaged or destroyed a total of 38 times. On 27 November 2016 an arsonist equipped with petrol burned it down just hours after its inauguration. After a few flame-free years under 24-hour security, the goat was again burned on 17 December 2021.[23] In 2023, it was severely pecked at for grain by jackdaws, due to the straw used to construct the goat containing higher than usual amounts of seeds.
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. Until 1985 the Southern Merchants held the world record for the largest Yule Goat, but over the years the Natural Science Club's goat increased in size, and in 1985 their Yule Goat made it into the Guinness Book of Records with an official height of 12.5m (41feet). The creator of the original 1966 goat, Stig Gavlén, thought that the Natural Science Club's goat had unfairly won the title of the largest Yule Goat because the goat was not as attractive as the Southern Merchants' goat and the neck was excessively long. The next year there was a Goat war: the Southern Merchants understood the publicity value, and erected a huge goat, the Natural Science Club erected a smaller one in protest. The Southern Merchants had intended that their huge goat would reclaim the world record, but the measurement of the goat showed it fell short. Over the following seven years there were no further attempts on the world record, but there was some hostility between the Natural Science Club and the Southern Merchants, evidenced by the fact that the Natural Science Club put up a sign near their goat wishing a Merry Christmas to everyone, except the Southern Merchants.
In 1993 the Southern Merchants again announced that they were going to attempt the world record. The goat stood 10.5m (34.4feet) when completed. The Natural Science Club's Yule Goat that year measured 14.9m (48.9feet), which earned them another place in the Guinness Book of Records.
| Year | Security additions | Date of destruction | Method of destruction | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | |||||
| 1967 | |||||
| 1968 | Fence added. | ||||
| 1969 | Inside of goat protected by chicken-wire netting. | ||||
| Year | Security additions | Date of destruction | Method of destruction | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | The goat's destruction was blamed on two drunk teenagers. With help from several financial contributors, the goat was reassembled out of lake reed. | ||||
| 1971 | [24] | The Southern Merchants became tired of their goats being burned down, and stopped constructing them. The Natural Science Club from the School of Vasa took over and built a miniature goat.[25] | |||
| 1972 | |||||
| 1973 | [26] [27] | The goat was stolen by a man, who then placed it in his backyard. He was later sentenced to two years in prison for aggravated theft. | |||
| 1974 | |||||
| 1975 | [28] | The goat collapsed under its own weight. | |||
| 1976 | [29] [30] | A student rammed the hind legs of the goat with a Volvo Amazon, collapsing the structure. | |||
| 1977 | |||||
| 1978 | |||||
| 1979 | After the first goat was burned, a second was fireproofed. | The goat was burned down before construction even finished. A second goat was constructed and finished, but was later destroyed and broken into pieces. |
| Year | Security additions | Date of destruction | Method of destruction | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | |||||
| 1981 | |||||
| 1982 | |||||
| 1983 | |||||
| 1984 | |||||
| 1985 | Enclosed by a 2m (07feet) high metal fence, guarded by Securitas and soldiers from the Gävle I 14 Infantry Regiment. | The 12.5-metre (41 ft) tall goat of the Natural Science Club was featured in the Guinness Book of Records for the first time. | |||
| 1986 | The Southern Merchants built their first goat since 1971, and it was burned. From 1986 onwards two goats were built each year, one by the Southern Merchants' and one by the School of Vasa. | ||||
| 1987 | Heavily fireproofed. | ||||
| 1988 | Gamblers were for the first time able to gamble on the fate of the goat with English bookmakers. | ||||
| 1989 | Financial contributions from the public were raised to rebuild a goat, and the second goat was burnt down in January. In March 1990 another goat was built, this time for the shooting of a Swedish motion picture called Black Jack. | ||||
| Year | Security additions | Date of destruction | Method of destruction | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The goat was guarded by many volunteers. | ||||
| 1991 | The goat was joined by an advertising sled, that turned out to be illegally built. It was later rebuilt to be taken to Stockholm as a part of a protest campaign against the closing of the I 14 Infantry Regiment. | ||||
| 1992 | Both the Natural Science Club and Southern Merchants' goats burned down on the same night. The latter was rebuilt, and burned down on 20 December. The perpetrator of the three attacks was caught and sent to jail. The Goat Committee was founded in 1992. | ||||
| 1993 | Guarded by taxis and the Swedish Home Guard | Once more the goat was featured in the Guinness Book of Records, the School of Vasa's goat measured 14.9m (48.9feet). | |||
| 1994 | The goat followed the Swedish national hockey team to Italy for the World Championship in hockey. | ||||
| 1995 | A Norwegian was arrested for attempting to burn down the goat. It was rebuilt for the 550th anniversary of Gävleborg County. | ||||
| 1996 | Monitored by webcams. | ||||
| 1997 | Damaged by fireworks. The Natural Science Club's goat was attacked too, but survived with minor damage. | ||||
| 1998 | Burned down during a major blizzard, and was rebuilt. | ||||
| 1999 | The Southern Merchants' goat was rebuilt again before Lucia. The Natural Science Club's goat was also burnt down. | ||||
| Year | Security additions | Date of destruction | Method of destruction | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | In addition to the Southern Merchants' goat being burned, the Natural Science Club's goat was thrown into the Gävle river. | ||||
| 2001 | A visitor from Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States, was arrested for burning the goat. The Natural Science Club's goat was also burnt down. | ||||
| 2002 | On Saint Lucy's Day, the goat was guarded by Swedish radio and TV personality Gert Fylking.[31] | A 22 year-old from Stockholm tried to set the Southern Merchants' goat on fire, but failed, the goat receiving only minor damage. | |||
| 2003 | A second goat was put up a week after the first one burned down. The second goat survived without any known incidents. | ||||
| 2004 | |||||
| 2005 | Burnt by unknown vandals reportedly dressed as Santa and the gingerbread man, by shooting a flaming arrow at the goat.[32] Reconstructed on 5 December. The hunt for the arsonist responsible for the goat-burning in 2005 was featured on the weekly Swedish live broadcast TV3's "Most Wanted" (Swedish: "Efterlyst") on 8 December. | ||||
| 2006 | The Southern Merchants' goat survived New Year's Eve and was taken down on 2 January. It is now stored in a secret location.[33] Meanwhile, Natural Science Club's goat was burned. | ||||
| 2007 | The Natural Science Club's goat was toppled on 13 December and was burned on the night of 24 December.[34] The Southern Merchants' goat survived. | ||||
| 2008 | 10,000 people turned out for the inauguration of one of the goats. No back-up goat was built to replace the main goat should the worst happen, nor was the goat treated with flame repellent (Anna Östman, spokesperson of the Goat-committee said the repellent made it look ugly in the previous years, like a brown terrier).[35] On 16 December the Natural Science Club's Goat was vandalised and later removed. On 26 December there was an attempt to burn down the Southern Merchants' Goat but passers-by managed to extinguish the fire. The following day the goat finally succumbed to the flames ignited by an unknown assailant at 03:50 CET. | ||||
| 2009 | A person attempted to set the Southern Merchants' goat on fire the night of 7 December.[36] An unsuccessful attempt was made to throw the Natural Science Club's goat into the river the weekend of 11 December. The culprit then tried, again without success, to set the goat on fire.[37] Someone stole the Natural Science Club's goat using a truck on the night of 14 December.[38] On the night of 23 December before 04:00a.m. the South Merchant goat was set on fire and was burned to the frame, even though it had a thick layer of snow on its back.[39] The goat had two online webcams which were put out of service by a DoS attack, instigated by computer hackers just before the burning.[40] | ||||
| Year | Security additions | Date of destruction | Method of destruction | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | On the night of 2 December, arsonists made an unsuccessful attempt to burn the Natural Science Club's goat.[41] On 17 December, a Swedish news site reported that one of the guards tasked with protecting the Southern Merchants' goat had been offered 50,000 SEK to leave his post so that the goat could be stolen via helicopter and transported to Stockholm.[42] Both goats survived and were dismantled and returned to storage in early January 2011.[43] | |||
| 2011 | The goat was sprayed with water to create a coating of ice.[44] | [45] | Mild weather resulted in the protective ice melting. The Natural Science Club Goat was also burned. | |
| 2012 | [46] [47] | |||
| 2013 | The goat was soaked in flame-retardant.[48] | [49] | ||
| 2014 | At least three arson attempts were made.[50] The Natural Science Club goat was collapsed. | |||
| 2015 | [51] | A 26 year-old man fleeing the scene with a singed face, smelling of gasoline, and holding a lighter in his hand was arrested. Under questioning, he admitted to committing the offence, adding that he was drunk at the time and that in retrospect, it was an "extremely bad idea".[52] He was sentenced in January 2018 to probation by an appellate court with a 6,000 SEK fine and 80,000 SEK in damages. The Natural Science Club goat was also burned. | ||
| 2016 | [53] | The goat was destroyed by an arsonist equipped with petrol on its inauguration day,[54] just hours after its 50th "birthday party".[55] Organizers said they would not rebuild the goat in 2016. The 21 year-old was sentenced to probation by Gävle Tingsrätt and was sentenced to a fine and to pay roughly 100,000 SEK in damages. The evidence mainly revolved around a hat that the perpetrator dropped during his escape. The police later DNA-matched it with the 21-year-old local. It was replaced by the smaller Natural Science Club goat[56] built by local high school students.[57] This goat was later hit by a car. YouTuber Tom Scott covered the Gävle goat in a video released on November 28, 2016; principal filming of the goat itself took place mere hours before the goat was burned down.[58] | ||
| 2017 | Double fence, cameras, guards[59] | The goat was inaugurated on 3 December. No reported attempts to burn the goat were made.[60] | ||
| 2018 | Fencing, cameras, guards, taxi rank to increase numbers of people nearby[61] | The goat was inaugurated on 2 December. An attempted burning of the Natural Science Club's goat occurred on the night of 15 December, resulting in minor damage to its left front leg.[62] | ||
| 2019 | Double fence, 24-hour CCTV. Two guards patrolled around the goat frequently, 24 hours a day, along with a K9 unit. | The goat was again inaugurated on 1 December.[63] On 13 December fire crews responded to a call that the 'little goat' was burning, only to discover it was in fact a miniature Yule goat somebody had brought and torched at the scene.[64] The Natural Science Club goat was burned but not destroyed in the early hours of 27 December.[65] A suspect was taken into custody.[66] This was the first time ever that the goat survived more than two years in a row. | ||
| Year | Security additions | Date of destruction | Method of destruction | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Guards, double fence, 24-hour CCTV, public webcam feed. | The goat was inaugurated on 29 November.[67] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the inauguration was digital, and members of the public were advised not to gather around the goat. There was no traditional celebration.[68] The goat was not harmed during the 2020 holiday season, making 2020 the fourth consecutive year of the goat's survival.[69] | |||
| 2021 | The Natural Science Club goat was burned in the early hours of 12 December.[70] The larger goat burned in the early hours of 17 December. A 40 year-old man was arrested[71] and later sentenced to six months in prison and ordered to pay SEK 109,000 in damages to the municipality.[72] | ||||
| 2022 | New 24-hour real-time public webcam feed, double fence, 24-hour guards | The goat was inaugurated on 27 November.[73] Due to a new city centre being built at Slottstorget square, the goat's traditional location, the goat was moved a few blocks north to Rådhusesplanaden.[74] On January 1, the stream was discontinued, and the goat was taken down the day after.[75] | |||
| 2023 | 24-hour guards on site, double fence, 24-hour public webcam stream. | Due to the straw used to construct the goat containing higher than usual amounts of seed, while not destroyed, the goat was severely damaged by flocks of jackdaws foraging for food.[76] | |||