It happened again. Gävle bocken, a gigantic goat made from straw, was burned last night.
As I wrote couple of weeks ago, this goat has become a phenomenon in the world due to fact that it is more likely it is burned down than it survives to Christmas. Burning of the straw goats (though not so big) is an old Nordic tradition for the darkest time of the year. Burning washed away the bad spirits and bad luck away and was a promise for a good crops for next harvest.
So, Gävle's citizens are saved from bad spirits also this year. Since it was raised fist time in the 1960's the goat has been burned almost 30 times. Some years ago it was burned by an American tourist who actually thought that it was the traditions people just had to do - and he thought himself lucky.
So, this morning when I visited Gävle Goat's site, I saw the smoking rests of it:
The Goat's last words in Twitter were: "The last hour is here.I'm sorry to leave you now.Thank you my friends
for this year! I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year"
Ironically, burning of the goat - more than it's survival - has made Gävle Bocken a bigger phenomena and created a story bigger than it actually is. The goat's significance is in fire.
I wonder whether Gävle City Council actually wishes the Goat was burned because it gives huge media interest around it every year and even more after pyromaniacs did their part of the play.
Related links:
Expressen's story and video on the Goat in fire.
Updated 2 PM:
Apparently Swedish PR specialists think the same: http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/brinnande-bocken--en-pr-succe-for-gavle/http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/brinnande-bocken--en-pr-succe-for-gavle/
As I wrote couple of weeks ago, this goat has become a phenomenon in the world due to fact that it is more likely it is burned down than it survives to Christmas. Burning of the straw goats (though not so big) is an old Nordic tradition for the darkest time of the year. Burning washed away the bad spirits and bad luck away and was a promise for a good crops for next harvest.
So, Gävle's citizens are saved from bad spirits also this year. Since it was raised fist time in the 1960's the goat has been burned almost 30 times. Some years ago it was burned by an American tourist who actually thought that it was the traditions people just had to do - and he thought himself lucky.
So, this morning when I visited Gävle Goat's site, I saw the smoking rests of it:
 |
| RIP Gävle Goat - Gävle bocken 13.12.2012 |
Ironically, burning of the goat - more than it's survival - has made Gävle Bocken a bigger phenomena and created a story bigger than it actually is. The goat's significance is in fire.
I wonder whether Gävle City Council actually wishes the Goat was burned because it gives huge media interest around it every year and even more after pyromaniacs did their part of the play.
Related links:
Expressen's story and video on the Goat in fire.
Updated 2 PM:
Apparently Swedish PR specialists think the same: http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/brinnande-bocken--en-pr-succe-for-gavle/http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/brinnande-bocken--en-pr-succe-for-gavle/
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