Wot?
Okay, a primer.
The Gävle Goat is a 13 meter straw Yule Goat erected every year in the town of Gävle in Sweden, in the run up to Christmas. And sometimes it’s burned down or otherwise destroyed. Security has become tighter around the goat every year, especially in these days of live streaming - and clout chasing.
Read more about the goat:
Gävlebocken | Visit Gävle - includes a live feed of the goat.
I first heard about it on the Hypnogoria podcast, and back in December 2022 I started keeping an eye on the goat, as I got a bit emotionally invested in it surviving to Christmas without burning down. I blogged about that here. The next year I began doing the same in December, and what a strange year for the goat it was! It didn’t burn, but due to there being an unusual amount of seed still in the goat’s straw, it was gradually eaten by local birds over the month.
So this year I’ll be doing GoatWatch again on my Mastodon account either until 31st of December, or until the goat burns down, whichever comes first! I usually just post a quick toot in the morning with a screen grab of the live feed to show if the goat remains unburned. If you’re on Masto, feel free to follow the #GoatWatch2024 hashtag. If you’re still on the hellsite, the goat itself has an X account you can keep tabs on.
It’s the first day of Advent today and the goat has been up a couple of days, but will be officially inaugurated today, with a concert and other fun winter and Christmas themed events. Gävle loves their goat.
May he be safe this year from fire and birds!
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| My own homemade crochet Julbock, who I call Lumpy. |
