The infamous Gävle goat has survived intact until Christmas Eve. Gävle’s goat has been protected by surveillance cameras and guards. Last year’s tough fate for Puki was not repeated.
The straw goat located in the municipality of Gävle in Sweden seems to have survived intact until Christmas Eve.
The live broadcast showed at seven o’clock Finnish time on the morning of Christmas Eve that the buck was still standing firmly in place.
The previous day’s snowfall had dyed the straw on the goat’s back white.
Unlike last year, this year the straws were in place, and there were no birds flying around the goat.
Surveillance cameras, security guards and a high fence have protected the straw man from arsonists.
The footage from the surveillance camera has been viewed live by the municipality of Gävle from the website until the beginning of December.
The goat of hard fate
Gävle’s goat is built every year on the first Sunday of Advent. It has often been the fate of the straw to fall victim to arson.
The straw goat was built in Gävle for the first time in 1966. In the very first year, the goat was burned into reindeer.
In 1970, the trestle burned just six hours after construction.
The last time a buck turned into a reindeer was in 2021. Before that, it survived four Christmases in a row.
Last year, Gävle’s straw goat experienced an unprecedented fate. The pyromaniacs were kept away, but not the birds.
In 2023, the nakas ate Gävle’s straw bale as punishment.