The Gävle goat: huge straw holiday goat often gets burned down

[beschizza]

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2017/12/08/the-gavle-goat-huge-straw-hol.html

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[Blaze_Curry]

Is this an example of…Chekov’s goat?

[kpkpkp]

Seems like it’s purpose-built for harmless fun, and burning makes its removal easier once the holiday period has passed.

[kpkpkp]

[adamcreen]

Find out if it’s still there by logging on to the webcam: http://www.visitgavle.se/sv/gavlebocken

[failquail]

[MaiqTheLiar]

I’ve told those people ‘till I’m blue.
Ya’ gotta’ keep the straw goat out of the booze.

[Boundegar]

So, kind of like the Wicker Man, but funnier!

[noahdjango]

A straw goat is a pagan yule symbol that survives as a christmas symbol. I don’t know if my interpretation is correct since I don’t know too much about paganism, but it strikes me that maybe building the goat is the establishment, civic-minded, Christian take on the symbol, and burning it is like suppressed human desire rising up to celebrate yule, maybe mirroring how paganism was suppressed by christianity. Sort of a half-baked analysis but I wonder.
I think there’s a universal appeal to setting shit on fire with your buddies when you’re drunk, though.

[anon59592690]

Kids, eh?

[larrycovey]

There may be a Black-Ops aspect to this; i.e., “The Men Who Stare At Straw Goats”

[LutherBlisset]

I don’t see confidence intervals, hence I’m not confident this chart is useful.

[GulliverFoyle]

I blame violent video games like Goat Simulator.