Every year since 1966, the townspeople of Gävle in central Sweden erect the Gävlebocken, a yule goat made out of straw, in the Slottstorget Square on the first day of the Advent.
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Every year since 1966, the townspeople of Gävle in central Sweden erect the Gävlebocken, a yule goat made out of straw, in the Slottstorget Square on the first day of the Advent.
This year, the 43-foot Gävle Goat was revealed to the public on the first week of December with the hopes that it will endure until the end of the holiday season. The inauguration was marked by a fantastic firework show, far from the Gävlebocken, of course. The huge goat is worth a visit before it gets “accidentally” burned down.
In the 51 years of this tradition, the Gävle Goat has been burned 35 times. Town officials are pulling all the stops this year to fend off arsonists, such as installing CCTV cameras, posting two security guards, and putting double fences around the goat.
By luck, the Gävle Goat will still be standing tall at least until Christmas Day. This unique Christmas tradition has attracted millions of tourists to the Gävleborg County. Let’s see how long it will live this year.
Check out the latest status of the Norse Goat on the live webcam here .
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