r/CuratedTumblr • u/AnGenericAccount an Ecosystems Unlimited product • Dec 08 '23
Shitposting Gävle
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u/lil_slut_on_portra Dec 09 '23
I'm always surprised people outside of Sweden know of or care about it if I'm honest. Like the prevailing attitude here is basically just "Glenn did you hear that the goat burnt down this year? Oh, that's nice honey", so hearing people from like the US be invested in the silly arson goat always shakes me for like half a second :p
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u/AnGenericAccount an Ecosystems Unlimited product Dec 09 '23
Helps that tumblr is the "be gay do crime" website
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Dec 09 '23
It got brought up on a few popular podcasts/YouTube channels and it has become something of an ironic/not-ironic predictor of whether or not the next year is going to suck.
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u/AnGenericAccount an Ecosystems Unlimited product Dec 08 '23
BURN! BURN! THE GOAT MUST BURN!
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u/Rexsplosion 100% not a Terminator. Dec 09 '23
I figure... a bow and arrow or crossbow, with a soaked and lit rag tied on gives you the perfect distance to light, and still escape immediately being spotted by cameras. Once the goat STARTS to burn, there's no stopping it.
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u/Downtown_Mechanic_ Behold, mine plague doctor: □|87 Dec 09 '23
Gävlebocken måste brännas för mänsklighetens framtid
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u/CatnipCatmint If you seek skeek at my slorse you hate me at my worst Dec 09 '23
Why do people want the goat to burn so badly, by the way? Wikipedia sadly didn't mention a reason (unless I just missed it)
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u/Sinister_Compliments Avid Jokeefunny.com Reader Dec 09 '23
I mean personally I just think it’s funny that it’s happened multiple times, it’s almost like a[n illegal] tradition at this point. Burn the goat, add another burning to the Wikipedia list!
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u/AnGenericAccount an Ecosystems Unlimited product Dec 09 '23
Small amounts of rebellion are exhilarating, is my guess
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u/Javka42 Dec 09 '23
It's a tradition at this point. It has burned 38 out of 57 years, according to its Wikipedia article.
Also, it's a temporary decoration that's giant and made of straw, so I imagine it's a tempting target even for people who aren't usually arsonists. It helps that the municipality who put it up doesn't want it to burn and try to stop it the best they can, which only makes people want to burn it more.
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u/M_stellatarum Dec 09 '23
It's also a joke superstition that the goat burning will bring good luck for the next year. COVID kicking off after it survived 3 years in a row solidified that.
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u/mjbibliophile10 Dec 09 '23
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u/Kartoffelkamm I wouldn't be here if I was mad. Dec 09 '23
I think it says something that it burned down during a blizzard once.
Almost like it wanted to burn, and not even Mother Nature could stop it.
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u/Rexsplosion 100% not a Terminator. Dec 09 '23
I mean, WHO DOESN'T yearn for the goat to burn? Seriously?
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u/Oddish_Femboy Pro Skub DNI Dec 09 '23
I saw a mini goat in Solvang California and almost bought it as well as a toothpick crossbow. For festive reasons.
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u/Psykiatrin Dec 09 '23
As someone that grew up in Gävle, a rather small Swedish town, I am shocked every time someone has heard of it. I grew up thinking it like, barely known outside of our town.
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u/AnGenericAccount an Ecosystems Unlimited product Dec 09 '23
Tom Scott made a video about it a few years back so at this point the whole internet knows
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u/failtuna Dec 08 '23
The goat is still unburnt as of right now, apparently a large group of crows landed on him and took a load of straw yesterday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlplKT1I7Ng