The Sad, Twisted Tale of the Gavle Christmas Goat
My acquaintance with the Gävle Goat in Sweden actually dates back to before I even had Pasqualina — this because my friend Annika lives in Gävle. If you haven’t heard about the Gävle Goat, it’s a 13-meter (42+ feet) tall straw structure that’s built in the center of Gävle, Sweden at Christmastime every year:
Gävle Goat by plastAnka on Flickr
And every year, some people try to destroy it, often successfully. It’s supposed to come down on January 3 of the new year, but rarely does it make it intact through the entire holiday season, usually succumbing to a fire.
2005 Gävle Goat set afire
This year, there was even a foiled helicopter kidnapping (no pun intended) plot, but as of right now, the Gävle Goat is still standing — so maybe, just maybe, he’ll still be around to ring in 2011 with his little goat bell.
Wait, do giant straw goats get bells?
Anyway, buon anno from our pen to yours!
One Response to “The Sad, Twisted Tale of the Gavle Christmas Goat”
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GoatSpotting!
Goats that readers have spotted out and about. Send your photos to michelle(at)goatberries(dot)com!
What a cool tale! Did the goat make it?
My friend Annika informs me that it did, Teresa! Woohoo! Year of the Goat! Kinda 😉
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