If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know that I’m absolutely fascinated by Julbock: A giant straw goat that’s erected in the Swedish town of Gavle every December, and is burnt down nearly every year.
I just find it so incredibly awesome that this town has built an entire tradition around building a giant goat and then spending a month trying to repel arsonists and pyromaniacs. Why are Scandanavians so cool? Why can’t we do anything this bizarre and traditional in Canada? We have plenty of giant stuff we could destroy – geese, nickels, cows, apples. Are we too reverential, or do we just lack initiative?
Anyway. A newly flame-retardant Julbock miraculously survived 2006 after what the website refers to as a “pyromaniac attack”, which is also just awesome; the town clearly has a sense of humour about this. (or at least the translator does; he or she keeps using the word “impregnated”, which can’t be quite right.) He’s back for 2007, better than ever: You can watch the goat on a live webcam. (He doesn’t do much. But you might get lucky and see a pyromaniac attack.)
Perhaps most bizarrely, the goat has a blog. No, really. And like many bloggers, he’s a bit whiny:
41 years old and single. At least I don’t live with my mum any longer. But I do have a top secret address 11 month per year. And who will find me there??? I thought that my fame might help, but no… I’m as lonely as ever. Maybe you know some nice female goat?
Is this not the most awesome thing ever? I know Christmas has been overcommercialized, but this is truly what the holiday season should be about: Building a giant goat and setting up a pretend blog for it while you wait for pyromaniacs and arsonists to set fire to it.
I am so moving to Sweden one of these days.