Gävlebocken has been regularly the target of arsonists since its creation in 1966.
Article written by
Posted
Reading time : 1 min.
Five years since the arsonists had not come to the end of this giant of straw. Gävlebocken, a goat proudly settled in central Sweden, will not have his fifth Christmas in a row, after being set on fire again on the night of Thursday to Friday, December 17. Witnesses said the fire broke out at around 3:30 a.m. PST, police reported. A man has been arrested.
The beast, presented by the city of Gävle as “the most famous straw goat in the world” -Who “love Christmas” but at “struggling with matches”– is regularly the target of arsonists since its birth in 1966.
However, “Gävlebocken”, which measures 13 meters high, is placed under the high surveillance of guards because over the past 20 years, the flames have swept it away more than ten times.
Gävlebocken has been in the city center of Gävle on the first Sunday of Advent for over fifty years. It attracts tens of thousands of locals and curious people during the end of year celebrations.
It is the giant version of the “Julbock” (Christmas goat), a symbol of Christmas very present in Scandinavia, whose origins mix the goat pulling the Viking god Thor and a reference to the straw of the manger of Christ.