# Swedish Christmas Straw Goat Burns Again **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 23, 2009, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-christmas-straw-goat-burns-again/522313 "2009-12-23T12:40:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-christmas-straw-goat-burns-again/522313/1 "2009-12-23T12:40:49Z")
> [@](#): > > STOCKHOLM – A straw goat was burned down yet again early Wednesday in a Swedish city where torching it has become a Christmas tradition. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091223/ap\_on\_fe\_st/eu\_sweden\_christmas\_goat](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091223/ap_on_fe_st/eu_sweden_christmas_goat) The Straw Goat is traditional in Sweden (which I did not know), but torching it has apparently become a tradition of its own. The goat is not _supposed_ to be torched. Yet, despite the fact that someone tries to do this every year, they haven’t tried making it out of non-flammable materials. They tried fireproofing it, but gave that up when the fireproofing discolored it. (What do you call it when you do the same thing repeatedly, while hoping for a different outcome?) > [@](#): > > Vandals have burned down the goat 24 times since it was first set up in Gavle in 1966 to mark the holiday season. It has also been smashed several times, run over by a car and had its legs cut off. > > In 2006 and 2007 city officials doused it in fireproofing chemicals. Ostman said they stopped doing that because it discolored the goat, making it “look like a brown terrier instead of a yellow straw goat.” > > The goat is a centuries-old Scandinavian yule symbol that preceded Santa Claus as the bringer of gifts to Swedish homes. Many Swedes place a small straw goat underneath their Christmas trees, or hang miniature versions on the branches. My favorite part, at the end, of course: > [@](#): > > Vandals are seldom caught, but in 2001, a 51-year-old visitor from Cleveland, Ohio, spent 18 days in jail for setting it ablaze. > > In 2005, the goat was burned down by two arsonists dressed up as Santa Claus and the Gingerbread Man. They were never caught. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-christmas-straw-goat-burns-again/522313/2 "2009-12-23T13:46:48Z")
It’s only natural. Since [Burning Man](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_man) is held around the summer solstice, it stands to reason that Burning Goat should be built around the winter solstice. These things should be built on the Equinoxes, of course… ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-christmas-straw-goat-burns-again/522313/3 "2009-12-23T14:45:12Z")
“Vandals are seldom caught, but in 2001, a 51-year-old visitor from Cleveland, Ohio, spent 18 days in jail for setting it ablaze.” One would THINK a 51 year old would have enough sense to not set public property ablaze in a foreign country… ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-christmas-straw-goat-burns-again/522313/4 "2009-12-23T14:53:55Z")
Santa and the Gingerbread Man? It’s amazing they didn’t set themselves on fire with the amount of flammable material in those costumes! > [@billfish678](#): > > “Vandals are seldom caught, but in 2001, a 51-year-old visitor from Cleveland, Ohio, spent 18 days in jail for setting it ablaze.” > > One would THINK a 51 year old would have enough sense to not set public property ablaze in a foreign country… I was thinking he had traveled there just _to_ set fire to the goat… Some people just make me go 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-christmas-straw-goat-burns-again/522313/5 "2009-12-23T14:59:08Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > “Vandals are seldom caught, but in 2001, a 51-year-old visitor from Cleveland, Ohio, spent 18 days in jail for setting it ablaze.” > > One would THINK a 51 year old would have enough sense to not set public property ablaze in a foreign country… “You were arrested grandpa?! What for?!” "Goat burning. " ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-christmas-straw-goat-burns-again/522313/6 "2009-12-23T15:06:27Z")
> [@Serenata67](#): > > Santa and the Gingerbread Man? It’s amazing they didn’t set themselves on fire with the amount of flammable material in those costumes! > > I was thinking he had traveled there just _to_ set fire to the goat… > > Some people just make me go 😕 I thought you were Going to say some people just get your goat. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-christmas-straw-goat-burns-again/522313/7 "2009-12-23T15:21:31Z")
> [@](#): > > The goat is a centuries-old Scandinavian yule symbol that preceded Santa Claus as the bringer of gifts to Swedish homes. Many Swedes place a small straw goat underneath their Christmas trees, or hang miniature versions on the branches. Ha! So that is why we have a little straw goat christmas tree decoration! [my parents had a swedish student visit them back in the early 60s for a month] It must have been a visitors gift. 🙂 We have some strange christmas tree decorations that my parents got over the years, manay of which my brother and I have absolutely no explaination of, and my mom is crackers and doesnt remember her breakfast let alone some obscure christmas decoration. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-christmas-straw-goat-burns-again/522313/8 "2009-12-23T15:32:57Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > I thought you were Going to say some people just get your goat. I’m afraid that if they got it, they’d set fire to it… ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-christmas-straw-goat-burns-again/522313/9 "2009-12-23T16:16:21Z")
I burning your goat… ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-christmas-straw-goat-burns-again/522313/10 "2009-12-23T18:09:10Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091223/ap\_on\_fe\_st/eu\_sweden\_christmas\_goat](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091223/ap_on_fe_st/eu_sweden_christmas_goat) > > The Straw Goat is traditional in Sweden (which I did not know), but torching it has apparently become a tradition of its own. The goat is not _supposed_ to be torched. Yet, despite the fact that someone tries to do this every year, they haven’t tried making it out of non-flammable materials. They tried fireproofing it, but gave that up when the fireproofing discolored it. You have to admit, the Concrete Goat would probably be much less practical. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-christmas-straw-goat-burns-again/522313/11 "2009-12-24T08:04:38Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > One would THINK a 51 year old would have enough sense to not set public property ablaze in a foreign country… If I remember correctly, he claimed to have believed it was a perfectly legal tradition. I’m not sure if that would make him less stupid, or more. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-christmas-straw-goat-burns-again/522313/12 "2009-12-24T14:00:45Z")
“What’s you in for Gramps?” “Goat-burning rap.” ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-christmas-straw-goat-burns-again/522313/13 "2009-12-24T14:08:32Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > “What’s you in for Gramps?” > “Goat-burning rap.” Poor guy. Have you heard how fellow prisoners treat goataphiles? ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-christmas-straw-goat-burns-again/522313/14 "2009-12-24T16:51:46Z")
Who was it who said that, if you do an Internet search for “people setting goats on fire” porn, you’ll get a prompt asking what kind of goat?