Christmas Around the World, Week 1 – Sweden!

Today is the official start of our trip around the world to explore the Christmas traditions of different countries. It's also the day of the annual inauguration, in Sweden, of the Gävle Goat! In honor of this unique tradition, that's where we'll start our journey.

The Gävle Goat is an extra special, extra large version of a traditional Scandinavian symbol called the Yule Goat, which has its origins in a pagan festival marking the sun's entry into the sign of Capricorn. Over the years, it became associated with Christianity; in Sweden specifically, it became the figure watching over Christmas preparations, ensuring they were done properly. It eventually shifted to become the bringer of Christmas gifts, though it was then replaced in that role by Santa Claus.

As time continued to pass, the Yule Goat became an ornament, made of straw and bound with red ribbon, and placed on or underneath the Christmas tree. A tradition also developed within Swedish households to secretly hide the Yule Goat in a neighbor's home – those who are successfully "gifted" the goat must attempt to get rid of it in the same way. But in the town of Gävle, the Yule Goat became so much more than that!

In 1966, the first Gävle Goat was built. Made of straw with a wooden skeleton, the goat is over 40 feet tall and takes over two days to build. It is "inaugurated" every year on the first Sunday of Advent, and some years there are two goats, built by rival community organizations. Unfortunately, more often than not, neither goat makes it to Christmas. In fact, in 38 of the past 56 years, the goat has been destroyed or damaged, most often through arson.

The incredible statistics on these annual attacks on the goat are collected on its Wikipedia page and are definitely worth checking out. Your family can read about the history of the goat and trace the development of both the security measures protecting the goat and the ways in which its enemies have circumvented them. Notably, the goat has begun being fireproofed, placed under 24-hour security, and monitored by the nearby fire department – which has just made the vandals work harder!

Traditionally, if the goat is destroyed before December 13, it will be rebuilt, though some years it is simply destroyed again. You can keep tabs on the goat by visiting its website. There are videos about the goat, a webcam broadcasting from the goat, and the inauguration itself was livestreamed this morning. The goat is also on Twitter and Instagram.

While your family may not be up to creating your own 40-foot replica, you can create a smaller Yule Goat for your own home. Here's a simple DIY project – all you need is a paper plate. Your goat can watch over your family’s Christmas preparations, making sure you are welcoming in the season with the appropriate level of joy and gratitude. You might also consider hiding it at a friend or relative’s house, and start your own goat gifting tradition! Just don’t set it on fire – let’s leave that to the people of Gävle.

If you add a Yule Goat to your Christmas decorations this year, we’d love to see it! Share with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.