Hypnogoria: THE OLDTIME YULETIDE ADVENT CALENDAR

Welcome dear friends back to the Hypnogoria Old-time Yuletide Advent Calendar! Today we are opening Door 7 and discovering what G awaits us! And here G stands for Goat.

Now the goat isn’t perhaps an animal that we commonly associate with Christmas in the UK and the US, but nevertheless does have an ancient connection to Yuletide. And indeed, one we have almost forgotten. For example, if one looks at depictions of the old British Father Christmas from the Victorian era and earlier, one often finds the jolly old fellow riding on a goat.

Now this wasn’t because there aren’t any reindeer in Britain and artists plumped for a more common domesticated quadruped with horns and hooves. Rather it is a sign of an ancient Scandinavian influence in these isles. For in the Scandinavian countries for centuries a traditional Christmas icon has been the Yule Goat, a decorative figure made of woven straw and often red ribbons. As is often the case with such ancient traditions, its origins are unclear. Some claim it links back to the ancient Norse and Germanic worship of the god Thor, who famously rode in a chariot pulled by two goats. Others claim it is linked to the Zodiac and the sign of Capricorn, whose house the Sun enters in December.

But whatever the origins, the tradition is ancient and runs deep. For example, the original gift giver in some Scandinavian countries was the Julbocken, a somewhat terrifying figure dressed in furs and masked with a goat’s skull who came around to deliver gifts to the good children on Christmas Eve. And while more friendly Yuletide gift bringers have replaced the old Christmas Goat, such as the Julnisse and the Tomten, who appear as Santa-like gnomes, even they are often pictured riding or accompanied by a goat. While in Finland, although the bearded old gent who brings the gifts looks very like Father Christmas, he is still called Joulupukki - which means Yule Goat.

Now the popularity of straw Yule Goats is slowly spreading, with them beginning to appear among the more familiar decorations in shops over here. And the tradition is, in part, reaching a wider audience thanks to a particularly famous example. For, every year, at the start of Advent, in the Swedish city of Gävle, a huge straw Yule Goat is built.

Now the tradition began relatively recently, but has become world-famous, although perhaps not for the best reasons. Anyhow, the custom began in 1966, when a local man, Stig Gavlén had the idea to build a giant Yule Goat and so, a group of local businessmen, the Southern Merchants got together to make this massive public decoration. In 1971, the tradition was taken over by the Natural Science Club, but in 1986 the Southern Merchants began building a rival goat, meaning that sometimes there were two giant Yule Goats, and what's more a bit of rivalry over which group could construct the largest goat.

However the Gavle Yule Goat is not famous for being a giant size Christmas decoration. For sadly, a second tradition has sprang up around the titanic straw goat - burning it down. The very first goat back in 1966 went up in flames on New Year’s Eve, and then the same thing happened again on December 31st in 1969.

The following year, in 1970, thanks to some drunk teenagers, the Goat was burned to the ground just after it had been constructed, although thankfully it was rebuilt. In 1971, the Goat was smashed to pieces, which led to the Southern Merchants giving up on the Yule Goat building for several years. However the Natural Science Club, who took over the tradition, didn’t have any better luck. Their first goat built in 1972 collapsed, while the following year it was stolen. And in the years that followed the Yule Goat fared no better, being burnt down three times, collapsing, being kicked to pieces, and once being hit by a car.

And from 1980 onwards, more often than not, the Yule Goat ended up going up in flames thanks to various mischief-makers. Indeed since then, it has only survived Christmas intact sixteen times, despite various attempts to fireproof it and protect it with high tech security measures. However the Goat had a good run in recent years surviving for four years on the trot, until going up in flames again last year on December 17th.

Will it survive this year? Well, keep an eye on the news, for the goat burning tradition has become so famous, or should that be infamous, that it is now reported all around the world.