Arson as a Christmas Tradition: The Gävle Goat

In Gävle, Sweden, every year they build Gävlebocken, an enormous traditional Swedish Christmas straw goat. And every year, someone tries to burn it down. Here's to holiday traditions.
THANKS TO: Axel Wickman, @axelwickm on Twitter, for the post-burning photos of the goat from this morning!
I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at / tomscott
on Facebook at / tomscott
and on Instagram and Snapchat as tomscottgo

[@TomScottGo]

I have a cast-iron alibi. I was on a plane. Don't blame me. Also, if you're about to comment "did you know it burned down?", watch to the end…!

[@betyoudidntknowthat1246]

Tom Scott It burned down

[@faunsnelder4921]

Just admit Tom, the remote lighter was linked to you phone number.

[@shiva5749]

Tom Scott hello, great videos as always...

[@kierachell.]

2016 keeps on giving (or is it taking?)

[@Erdenshire]

Tom Scott All I can think now is "... Well, the front fell off!"

[@salamencerobot]

Returning to this video in 2023! Due to flooding and subsequently a bad harvest, seeds stuck to the straw much more than usual! This gave the goat not only a scruffy appearance, but also made it very appealing to birds! As of the 26th, the goat has been declared destroyed, by birds (mostly jackdaws) eating away at it slowly over the days!

[@Jo_easy]

Thank you for the "Yearly Goat Update"!!!

[@jonnnney]

The one year I am glad it didn't burn. Thank you.

[@Astro-bh7fv]

I mean, it's different

[@glader88]

Gävlebocken has survived every year since this video was published up until now. It was burned down on the 17'th of December 2021 and we hope that the offering pleases Odin.

[@ntlespino]

Other gods may be available

[@dinkeykong]

@@ntlespino we’ll take any who’ll help

[@progect3548]

my country was in lockdown when the goat was burned down and it has since been lifted, so the gods are probably appeased.

[@EliasMheart]

@@dinkeykong Mgl'uy? Fhtagn?

[@skyewithane9409]

Has it survived this year?

[@zoewang4043]

On the Gavle goat's Wikipedia page, they mention this video. "KZbinr Tom Scott covered the Gävle goat in a video released on November 28, 2016; principal filming of the goat itself took place mere hours before the goat was burned down."

[@abdulmasaiev9024]

Since this video came out, the goat enjoyed an unprecedented 3 years in a row of survival. Incidentally it also enjoys unprecedented levels of protection, with extra fences, extra cameras and extra patrolling guards. They must have seen Tom having released this video and stepped up their game in preparation of all his fans now knowing of the goat and what a tempting target it makes, also stopping all other arsonists because of it too.

[@dutubsucks]

Should also be noted that some weird stuff has been happening in the world and most experts agree that Covid-19 etc. is due to the gods being angry because of the lack of burning Gävlebocken sacrifice...

[@zoom5024]

We have had 3 years of extreme wildfires that has never happend before, and now corona. I hope it burns down next years so we can have peace again.

[@reideverett7279]

THE GOAT MUST COME DOWN

[@LostSwiftpaw]

THE GOAT JUST CAME DOWN

[@simonixen0762]

@@LostSwiftpaw YES IT DID

[@colinfurze]

Dam I was hatching my plan as the video was playing, next year eh.

[@degenererad]

colinfurze that guitar you made would do the trick

[@ZmakiZ]

The city is planning to have it rebuilt by the 13th, so you might get a second shot!

[@petrmoric1184]

degenererad: A lot of things he made would do the trick...

[@Daxrash]

omg colin YESS you just have to build an automated goat burning machine that operates on molten cheese and hydraulic pressure!

[@KaiWolf18]

Good video idea!

[@Rwededyet]

I love when reality sounds like a Monty Python skit.

[@eliasmg9144]

Now that's good enough for a Monty Python sketch

[@Izandaia]

"Burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp..."

[@british-sama7007]

"they fired proof the goat... IT BURNED DOWN"

[@Pouzdraken]

That is because reality more closely resembles a Monty Python skit over what history books tend to say

[@rose-marielundholm3597]

I know right? I think it's kinda funny as a swede XD

[@stjarnjerry_4020]

You forgot to tell about the failed helicopter kidnapping! In 2010, some guys tried to kidnap the goat using a helicopter and bring it to Stockholm. However, the cup failed as it was discovered by the police.

[@SamSitar]

yeah a helicopter is hard to hide.

[@pinkponyofprey1965]

NOW you're telling us!!!

[@luckystar3641]

It would've been funny if it failed because someone had already burned down the goat by the time they got there.

[@krakenmetzger]

@@luckystar3641 or it was lit in transit

[@StrangerHappened]

*NEVER believe that Swedes are boring.* Because you always hear how Russians have fun (and at times too much) and how calm and sane Scandinavians are but this is an obvious cover-up: after all, they have Viking blood somewhere deep inside them.

[@Jaynat_SF]

A friend of mine had a saying: If something happens twice in a row it's called a coincidence; If it happens thrice in a row, it's called a tradition.

[@conkerconk3]

the fact that someone found where the CCTV was being hosted, and managed to DOS it down just to commit yet another crime... just brilliant

[@utkua]

So Tom, it looks like you were the last one who have seen the goat without flames...

[@hakarthemage]

very suspicious

[@alden5931]

are you insinuating that he did it?! D:< JK :D

[@OlssonDaniel]

"Why did you leave Sweden very suddenly, mr Scott?" 🙂

[@killinjoke2517]

American Police says ID !

[@cyancoyote7366]

DoS-ing a camera system so you can burn down a goat that is made out of straw. I mean.... wow.... This is like something out of the movie "Hackers"....

[@TheRhinehart86]

This is a country that had 2 Pirate Party members in the EU Parliament that we're talking about here

[@glenzennio7256]

"The Party" best party except for the better ones.

[@cyancoyote7366]

· 0xFFF1 I like your username.

[@cyancoyote7366]

Haha, interesting :D Thanks for sharing :) My username is just a thing I saw while I was dreaming. A bit boring. It was a cyan colored coyote. The king of boring usernames.

[@4lligator]

I used to go on an IRC channel with a guy named F00F, after the bug in one of the Pentium processers

[@PregnantOrc]

You forgot to mention my favorite fact about the Gävle goat; In 2010 there was a foiled plan to kidnap the goat using a helicopter and bring it to Stockholm.

[@xaoz2362]

for real xD I would've loved to see that xD

[@augustvintermossa]

Imagine burning it whilst in mid air and then just dropping it on a large city (If anyone decides to do this, u never saw this comment and I was never here)

[@ekvedrek]

But it got burned down before the helicopter arrived?

[@wojciechmuras553]

One time, it was actually STOLEN. Just a few minutes without guards, and a flatbed truck with a crane was already taking the Goat into the unknown XD

[@whirrrl]

imagine KIDNAPPING a 10 METER HIGH GOAT MADE OUT OF STRAW TO PUT IT IN ANOTHER CITY

[@GarArtStudios]

You know I'm used to being so interested and fascinated in these videos but this one just flat out made me laugh out loud. This is incredibly hilarious.

[@drabberfrog]

Same, I love this story

[@ThunderSth]

For someone who has lived theif entre life in sweden it is kinda fun watching

[@douglaswolfen7820]

It's the delivery. It's lyrical. It's almost musical

[@newsystembad]

It is 2021, and the goat has finally been burned to the ground, after four straight years of no arson. May the gods be appeased by our sacrifice. Edit: The goat survived 2022. May the gods have mercy on our souls.

[@hesh7138]

If the past four years have taught us anything, it’s that burning the goat is necessary to keep the world from burning

[@Flamingaaa]

@@hesh7138 well said my friend

[@CryoOptics]

Sadly they were not

[@Msptomb]

They loved it!

[@aro_spectre]

gods weren't appeased but hopefully it burns this year despite the livestream. its been a horrible year maybe another goat will sate them

[@OlssonDaniel]

It was never burned in 2019 and look what a great year the Gods gave us....

[@rymdalkis]

Now it all makes sense. The Gods demand a yearly sacrifice

[@Epinardscaramel]

Damn, the 2020 goat survived as well

[@linusdn2777]

Not in 2020 either. Here i was hoping for a nice 2021

[@rymdalkis]

@@linusdn2777 And 6 days in we almost got a coup

[@linusdn2777]

@@rymdalkis what are you talking about? Like a coup d'etat?

[@keithhunter4275]

"In 2006, the city fireproofed the goat. *smile* It burned down." I laughed so hard XD

[@tinfoilhomer1535]

"Fireproof pyjamas" the nastiest product in the world.

[@Jono997]

Plot twist: Someone sneakily replaced the fire proofing material with watered down gasoline.

[@roberine7241]

how would you even go about fire proofing that thing?

[@samclay950]

"A small local display" of a 10 METER HIGH GOAT

[@G3ner0]

does it ever get burnt down though?

[@piet0]

big and strange statues arent too uncommon around the world, a 10 meter high one is nothing to goat about

[@safe-keeper1042]

Where Tom Scott is from, they're hundreds of metres tall :V

[@MsDangerousBeans]

It's only a small 10 meter high goat

[@Blade.5786]

@@piet0 I know it's been 3 years,but... *_GET OUT!_*

[@chrisball3778]

Apparently there's a whole other bizarre sub-plot to the Gavle Goat saga- they sometimes have 2 rival goats. The main one is put up by the local Merchant's Guild, but there's another created by a local school's science club. During the 80's this turned into a goat war. The school's goat got into Guinness World Records as the world's tallest Yule goat. The Merchant's Guild 'bravely' decided to pick a fight with a bunch of kids, complained that the school goat didn't deserve the record as their goat didn't look as fancy as the guild's goat, and promised that they would build a bigger one next year and win the record. However, next year, when their goat was measured, it turned out to be just a little bit too short. The year after that, both teams actively competed to build a bigger goat, and the kids smashed both the opposition and their own record with a 14.5 metre mega-goat.

[@macjonte]

Mega goat! I want pics! 😆

[@natanaeljohansson4167]

I was reccommended this video, possibly because I in fact live in Gävle. Upon reading the title I was quickly afraid of "oh no, not another foreigner not knowing the full story". Watched anyway out of sheer curiosity and was happily surprised with how well informed this was. Ty for giving this faily obscure Swedish city even more exposure.

[@a4d9]

@@ennis773 Amerikanen som trodde det var lagligt, är ju en vanligt förekommande uppfattning.

[@ItsCrypt1cal]

Gävle gang!!!

[@ItsCrypt1cal]

Tbf bocken har inte brunnit ner på länge och ingen bryr sig riktigt längre

[@a4d9]

@@ItsCrypt1cal Ja, det har ju gått fem månader sedan senast, så det är ju jättelänge sedan.

[@ItsCrypt1cal]

@@a4d9 vänta brann den ner förra gången? Jag trodde att det var flera år sedan sist.

[@siddhantparekh8007]

Just before saying, "It's still there", Tom turns around like he's trying to check whether someone burnt it down while he was filming. 😂😂😂

[@JoeBleasdaleReal]

Laughed so hard when the goat burnt down at the end

[@Wordsnwood]

+

[@JAYTEEAU]

Me too

[@manfredpseudowengorz]

I feel awkwardly ashamed for this but the punchline made my day

[@GiantCheeseItMan]

I woke up my brother laughing

[@T0BBi94]

Did your brother wake up because you laughed or did you actually wake him up laughing, that would be weird

[@Hendlton]

Tom telling all the years it was destroyed reminded me of the bit in Monty Python and the Holy Grail when the guy explains how he built the castle in the swamp.

[@vaclav_fejt]

Or like when Gary tried to make a cake.

[@TorquemadaTwist]

Or Charlie Brown trying to kick that football. Never stop trying.

[@MegaVikingen]

"This castle, and the 7 other castles it was built on top of, will one day be yours my son." I want to apologize for this not being (even close to) an actual quote. I also want to apologize for the number of buried castles probably being wrong. That scene (and Monty Python in general) deserves more respect.

[@vaclav_fejt]

@David Bunge Yes, it was a on TechDif (as a reference to Monty Python). I've a feeling it was on the Reverse Trivia podcast, but I'm not sure which episode.

[@Saka_Mulia]

Even 3 little pigs figured out straw was an unsuitable building material. Bring on 2017's brick goat!

[@reallivebluescat]

Ain't gonna be no huffin and puffin round these parts

[@Emily-ox6yn]

Update: The Gävle Goat has been burned down again in 2021 after 5 years without being set alight!

[@zech6846]

"... The goat burned down." -Scott, Tom 2016

[@michaelpapadopoulos6054]

x 48

[@PoliticRevolutionnaire]

...

[@skimmington]

I Will Explain he says "burned" every time...

[@Hwyadylaw]

Politic Revolutionnaire Linguist is not the same as a rhetorician :)

[@MidtownSkyport]

*burned

[@KelsomaticPDX]

"So I have to say, this interview has gone incredibly well but... It does appear you have a criminal record... Would you care to explain that." "Funny story, actually."

[@theblackwidower]

Don't think his criminal record would transfer across nations.

[@xPanda25]

T Duke Perry I think I know what you're trying to get at, but the way it makes it sound: "Have you ever been convicted of murder in the United States?" "Oh, heavens no! Just in the United Kingdom, so that doesn't count!"

[@KroltanMG]

@@xPanda25 "Oh, heavens, no! Not *convicted*!"

[@cymond]

"I flew a kite in a public space"

[@georgehelliar]

If I were investigating this year' arson, I'd be looking for people who were last seen in the area.... maybe those who fled the country

[@ekvedrek]

Maybe those who filmed it an hour before...

[@RoseAbrams]

as a swede, i remember back in grade school when i read about the burning arrow attack in the paper business as usual

[@TheAutisticKeybladeWielder]

That caramelldansen pic proves it. *Tips hat*

[@phoeniksofthestorm8385]

As a swede, i can say that i kind of want this thing to burn every year but also not. I dont want someone to just go in with some matches and burn it down, but i do want them to burn it down in the most creative way

[@BioHazardCL4]

The city fire proofed the goat! It burned down.... I'm burst out laughing in a lecture.

[@SamSitar]

interesting that fire proofed things can still burn :)

[@VicariousReality7]

Even argon, the element named for its non-reactivity will be burnt by Fluorine at near 0 degrees

[@maxbuskirk5302]

VicariousReality7 Fluorine is that reactive.

[@karoma7898]

Max Buskirk I have a chem1 final tomorrow, I know alot about fluorine, although my degree isn't in chemistry, I think fluorine is one of the most interesting atoms although simple

[@maxbuskirk5302]

Karem Omary Oh, I love Carbon

[@dudeduuk0]

I loved the story. I also really liked that you said: "and as I record this" *looks over to see if it's still there* "it's still there".

[@SindriDaCreeper]

The Goat outside Ikea in Iceland is burned down each year. So much so that last year it was protected with an electric fence yet it still burned down, later it was revealed that the fence actually started the fire. Now they have Cameras, fences and sometimes security guards xD

[@eleahflockhart]

2023, the goat was eaten by birds, they were betting on fire and flame, but no one planned for birds Edit: typo

[@salemwright9321]

Whats crazy is this was filmed only hours before it got burned down that year

[@KoenigKillHD]

"They made it fireproof. ... and it burned down"

[@wyllomygreene7700]

Synaps koenigkill + That's the line that made me spit coffee :)

[@gotayu]

I laughed so hard at this moment

[@Ganbalf]

The further north in sweden you go, the more stubborn and more pyromania driven people become

[@1nigma]

Me too :D

[@sickgringo007]

In Zurich, we have a tradition at the beginning of spring where we say goodbye to winter. After a large parade, a big hay stack with a snowman effigy stuffed with explosives on top is burned, and the longer it takes for the snowman's head to explode, the worse the coming summer will be. Look it up, it's called Sechseläuten

[@nexisssss]

Demfall bin ich nöd de einzig Zürcher da ;)

[@MachineWashableKatie]

it's like groundhog day with explosives.

[@michahensen6085]

Züürii:))

[@aimanzikrybinazmi1398]

How was it this year?

[@dusklunistheumbreon]

@@aimanzikrybinazmi1398 Some say the snowman is still burning.

[@Imbedersup]

"Gävlebocken November 2016 - November 2016" I laughed out loud. I can't believe you were there the exact same day I was! I was only a 5 minute drive away!

[@PeterAuto1]

Are you the guy who burned it?

[@MegaVikingen]

@@PeterAuto1 Based on my obsessively thorough Poirot inspired analysis, it was either him or Tom who did the crime.

[@Tintelinus]

The longest streak of non goat burning is officially over.

[@bopeep268]

The Goat has been sacrificed once more, perhaps Odin is pleased with this sacrifice and next year will become prosperous and bountiful!

[@lisamariefan]

I was half hoping that a drone would have come in during filming and burned the thing down as he was talking.

[@Drirton]

Not gonna lie- me too.

[@christopherx7428]

Now, THAT is a great tip for next year's arsonists... :-)

[@StijnHommes]

For the people keeping count, the massive new goat has once again been set on fire on December 17, 2021...

[@wanderingrandomer]

Your comedic timing was on point for this one, Tom!

[@ianism3]

in case anyone is curious, all four gävle goats since this one (2017-2020) have survived. the previous record for most consecutive surivals of the goat was 2. the 2021 one will be erected in about a month from now.

[@simonixen0762]

And... It burnt down

[@sudokuacrobatics]

No wonder 2020 was such a terrible year, the gods need sacrifices!

[@ForOdinAndAsgard]

The sacrifice is made. Odin will be pleased.

[@ayacachotinemi4974]

Am I the only one who thinks it's a little unsporting to burn it down right away? At least leave it up for a little and let people who like the un-burned goat enjoy it. And let the people who want to see it burn have the fun of wondering when it will happen (and possibly place bets on it). A few days isn't enough, you need it to survive for at least a couple of weeks.

[@Abuzzeer]

ayacachotinemi it usually stays up for quite a while, think this year is record time with the goat burning down 5 hours after the opening ceremony. I live here so i Know

[@cestarianinhabitant5898]

There should be an unspoken rule among vandals, leave the goat alone for 12 days.

[@cestarianinhabitant5898]

Metalbirne That's a very valid point.

[@ybra]

Tom goes to Gävle and the goat burns down... coincidence?

[@Twitchi]

shocking twist :P

[@tomatensalat7420]

was he really back in britain or was the last part recorded before he even went to sweden...? Just saying ;)

[@mackan8049]

Plot twist: Plot twist

[@oscarandersson2190]

Coincidence I THINK NOT!

[@jelmervd2l]

a friend of mine from sweden visited me last summer, i have a nice plushe gävle goat standing on my desk as im typing this!

[@danielbudney7825]

Are you keeping a bucket of water nearby? I mean, just to be safe ....

[@Nicolai0Nerland]

Now I want a plushie strawgoat too :I

[@Hwyadylaw]

jelmervd2l Yule goats (Straw bucks) are very common Christmas decorations in Scandinavia

[@MegaVikingen]

*Tom Scott:* "... It burned down."

[@maggiepie8810]

Straw goats are popular Swedish Christmas decorations, they're usually a lot smaller.

[@Lajosen]

Its a pagan tradition representing the goats pulling Tors sled

[@topilinkala1594]

@@Lajosen Nothing pagan about it. I don't know why people want to downgrade old traditions to something that would imply that they were blasphemous? Having diffrent belief is nothing else than having different belief. And what comes to Yule Goat it is tradition in Finland also and noithing to do with any Viking religion. Nothing to do with old finnish religions either. Just a tradition.

[@Lajosen]

@@topilinkala1594 En anledning varför ni fortfarande har kvar många svenska traditioner är kanske för att ni var en del av Svealand i över 800 år men vad vet jag.

[@topilinkala1594]

@@Lajosen Swerige was the one which brought chritianity in Finland and Yule Goat is far older in Finland than that.

[@RoseAbrams]

The year of this video was the last time it burned down in four years. But yesterday, ending its longest survival streak, it burned down again. Swedes rejoiced.

[@jmalmsten]

Being a Swede knowing about this ... uhm... "tradition"... and hearing a brit describe its history really makes it sound like the History of the previous Swamp Castles... By this point, the burning of the goat is basically a game (I have alibi to as was and is and live 400km away by the way) . It is a bit like when your dog runs around with your shoes in the morning. Or those videos of badgers and raccoons constantly thwarting obstacles set up by humans. It's basically become a stubborn race of ingenuity between builders and burners. And while I do not condone arson, the only way I can see this stopping is to actually make it not only legal. But also a part of the official opening ceremony. And then maybe people will get bored with the spectacle. Or maybe they will decide to up the ante... not only burning it... but planting explosives... Oh well. it's an oddity we'll live with.

[@KerbalRocketry]

Ironically the town would be obscure if the goat never burned, or if the burnign was legal. Arson might be illegal, but illegality does not imply morality and burning the goat seems good clean fun to all. After all you wouldn't keep building a flamible goat if you didn't want a good clean win of "HAH it survived!" over those trying to burn it.

[@Chris-jo1zr]

I fear it'd loose its charm if it were made legal, it's much more fun this way.

[@MrEDMeaner]

I'd say not building the goat would be fairly preventative haha...

[@HarryBuddhaPalm]

"What, the curtains?"

[@bengineer8]

Or actually guard it

[@JimFortune]

Please tell Lindy Beige about the time a fire arrow actually worked!

[@MeAgain998]

I suppose it works when you're literally firing it into tinder

[@JimFortune]

Rohan From what he said the fire never gets to the target. So it doesn't matter how flammable the target is.

[@JudgeEomer]

I can imagine with modern materials like methylated spirits etc. they can be a lot more effective. ; )

[@JimFortune]

TheMetalPenguin You think alcohol is a modern material?

[@MidtownSkyport]

+

[@Memington]

I was expecting that ending and I still laughed at it

[@blox_]

Memington yep

[@flick_s331]

2021, and it’s finally burned again 🔥🐐

[@GurraDesu]

This year it didn't burn down, but was eaten by birds instead.

[@jezusmylord]

mother nature is on the side of larsony and property damage

[@SH4GN457Y]

the delivery of this was just fantastic, and the tradition lives!

[@DarthSmirnoff]

This might be the greatest video I've ever seen on KZbin. I'm having a really rough time, and this made me laugh so hard and so much. Thanks, Tom.

[@tobortine]

That's the funniest episode yet. Well done.

Hello from Sweden in 2021. The goat has burned down. This year as well.

[@DuesenbergJ]

So it just went up in flames 17 December 2021. The tradition continues.

[@bodiejunior]

It costs around 12000 pounds to build. Thats actually a pretty solid investment based on PR and tourism.

[@sk8rdman]

I doubt the straw even weighs that much!

[@Andersson203]

Fines designed to compensate victims are set to correspond to the amount of destruction or damaged caused while fines designed to punish people are often set to be proportional to the income of the person who comitted the crime. So it kind of depends.

[@scandanavianman4858]

Dan "pounds" in this case would be a currency(£), not a weight(lbs).

[@sk8rdman]

Tyler Sturos I realize that. I was trying to make a joke.

[@ZmakiZ]

The city is currently holding a vote on Facebook on whether it should be rebuilt for the Lucia celebrations on the 13th. At the moment Yes have it by 6,693 to 378.

[@rambythezombie]

I wonder if this means there will be TWO goats burnt to the ground this year.

[@ZmakiZ]

If the second one burns too, it would be the third time it burns twice. (happened in '89 and '92)

[@ZmakiZ]

Don't know how many rebuilt goats that survived, but in '79 the second goat was beaten into pieces, and in 2000 the second goat was stolen and thrown into the Gävle river. Also notable is 2010, when the someone tried to bribe the Goat's security guards so that they could steal the goat by helicopter.

[@linuxares]

I'm just waiting for someone to buy a cheap drone and put a bengal to it and ram the goat.

[@onionbanan2527]

ZmakiZ the goat will not be rebuild.

[@LegGiant]

Watch this every year. It's becoming a tradition.

[@alexlandherr]

Good pronunciation for being mostly English speaking! It’s fascinating as a Swede to see foreign KZbinrs making educational videos about things in my country.

[@pigfish99]

2023: Currently being vored by birds as we speak, but is still standing!

[@andreaaxring5250]

Omg you are here!! couldn't you have done a meet and greet

[@TomScottGo]

+Andrea Axring For once, I actually tweeted where I was! It was a good concert. And I met Axel, who sent me the photos post-burning this morning :)

[@12TimmyProductions43]

^^ i'd love to meet you tom c:

[@Skracken]

Welcome to my home town Tom! :)

[@andreaaxring5250]

Tom Scott Okey then I have no excuse :) I can never seem to handle more social media apps then three: KZbin, Facebook and instagram...

[@itsSimonBeck]

+Andrea Axring RIP

[@bennygoat]

in 2021 the goat has finally burned again after 5 years! the gods have cursed us with bad years since 2016 for the lack of goat burnings, so may the gods finally make 2022 blessed

[@iamrobberino2107]

I'm a proud Swede, and I have to say this is a fine tradition that we honour deeply! :D

[@user5682]

The goat has actually survived 4 years in a row. I think it’s a new record for how many years in a row it has survived.

[@WereDictionary]

IIRC the goat has survived every year since, making this the longest streak of surviving Gävle goats ever.

[@Tintelinus]

I love how 4 years is the longest streak ever

[@VivienneGucwa]

I dunno. Extremely flammable goat + fire. Seems as natural as peanut butter and jelly (or peanut butter and chocolate). This is officially the weirdest comment I have ever left on KZbin.

[@IaCthulhuFthagn]

...or peanut butter and fire. Everything goes with fire.

[@Olodus]

As he said they have really tried to make it less flammable. Enough gasoline makes most things flammable though.

[@kilésengati]

Peanut butter! Yuck!!

[@4FlexxMusic]

I know you from Erik! Cool to see you here.

[@Scorpioenigma4]

Peanut butter and marmite?

[@krock90]

there's a similar tradition here in Iceland where a huge goat that IKEA puts up is burned down annually.

[@TorquemadaTwist]

Krock I just read that as 'burn down IKEA'. Mission accepted.

[@SamSitar]

so they burn the ikea goat with a flamethrower?

[@krock90]

Sam Sitar haha no. Just like with the Gävle goat, troublemakers use varied ways to ensure the burning of the goat, much to the chagrin of the IKEA execs (although many argue that this is just free advertisement for IKEA)

[@Tatwinus]

Thats a copycat though, they heard about the Gävle goat and realized IKEA is swedish. 1+1=fire

[@rdes11]

Analy

[@PunCala]

The Gävle goat always makes me laugh, my favourite Christmas tradition. :D

[@syok1107]

shoutouts to team burn! Så jävla snyggt!

[@syok1107]

shoutouts TeamFire 2023

[@400cabal]

I like how even though the goat was fireproofed, people still find a way to burn it down.

[@seriousspikesam7770]

Foolproof cannot exist because fools always come up with something new.

[@antivanti]

I didn't even know it burned down already. Actually the goat burning barely registers anymore. It's now almost more newsworthy if it survives...

[@ChipChip101]

You forgot the other tradition involving Nicholas Cage and some bees.

[@cringeycrisp4416]

Komada I wish I understood this joke

[@egalomon]

Wicker Man. It's a celtic druidism tradition or something like that

[@Tyro633]

Watch the movie "The wicker man", then you'll get it

[@emmastrange5557]

There was a terrible remake of The Wicker Man starring Nicolas Cage. In that film there's an infamous scene where he has a cage full of obviously CGI bees put over his face while he unconvincingly screams "No not the bees! They're in my eyes! AAAARGH the bees!"

[@StrawberryCream78]

Nicholages cage is vampire

[@pjesapjes]

this just happened yesterday.. the goat was burned down. this also is a tradition in iceland

[@ObiWanChernoby1]

It's a well-known saying here in Sweden that if you want snow on Christmas eve, the goat has to burn.

[@amberfarmer2869]

It is 2023 and the goat has not burned down but it has been eaten by birds.

[@PeppyWasTaken]

"Vandals dressed as Santa Claus and gingerbread men fired a burning arrow at the goat.. and burned it down." Best Tom Scott quote ever

[@cmelonwheels]

It's the long pause before "and it burned down" that lets you think, for just a second, maaaaaaybe something else happened that really does it for me 😂

[@PeppyWasTaken]

@@cmelonwheels Ikr 🤣

[@fourscoresplat]

THE GOAT HAS BURNED

[@LostSwiftpaw]

The goats been got, we can go home now everyone

[@Azeria]

Throughout Pennsylvania there is a tradition that someone steals the baby Jesus from nativity scenes, it was even referenced in a song by The Wonder Years. _And Now I'm Nothing_ "This is where it's been The manger scene every Christmas Next to the cannon Every year someone steals baby Jesus Nobody stops them It's a nice tradition"

[@bogosbinted836]

i live there and i can say you are probably the only famous youtuber that visited us

[@DanThePropMan]

Never in a thousand years would I have guessed that that's how you pronounce Gävle.

[@Gitah92]

It really isn't.

[@DanThePropMan]

GitahProductions Well, don't keep us in suspense...

[@SwedishMindwacker]

Write Jävle in Swedish google translate and listen to it.

[@andreashofmann4556]

The "ä" is pronounced like the "a" in "basket" (american pronounciation), the syllables are jäv-le. Best i can do i think :P

[@WalnutOne]

Try to pronounce: säkerhetsbälte (Its swedish for seatbelt)

[@FooDanger]

YOU JINXED IT TOM!! It hasnt burned down since 2016 and look at the plague the gods sent us without this traditional sacrifice!

[@Tintelinus]

IT BURNED THIS YEAR WE ARE SAVED

[@FooDanger]

@@Tintelinus Praise the burning goat.

[@LouisOnAir]

Ah yes I heard a dramatic reading of every year's outcome on a podcast last Christmas.

[@Alamandir1]

Where can I find this Poadcast? I need it in my life!

[@stabosaurus]

second

[@Jakewake52]

Doest thou ave links?

[@MaxMaker]

More then likely its the yogpod! they read it last year at christmas

[@acdeeiprrt]

Every time I think I've found the perfect tom Scott video, one appears in my recs to top it

[@samstudios9908]

In 85 the goat was guarded by infantrymen from the 14 regiment and in 93 it was protected by the Swedish Home Guard

[@TTaiiLs]

fun fact: the goat burnt down again today

[@FrontalBeep]

wait, are you serious? As in, they rebuilt it and it burned down again?

[@TTaiiLs]

FrontalBeep yup

[@TheMaxmust]

ye its hilarious that they just rebuild it imo

[@betyoudidntknowthat1246]

FrontalBeep It did XD

[@seekingnotruth]

they haven't rebuilt it. it was displayed yesterday, burnt down 8 hours later. it's not yet decided if they will rebuild it.

[@xifel72]

For people here in 2021: It was burned down on the 17th of December this year

[@macoud12]

2017-2020, it survived. 2021, it burned down again despite the extra measures. 2022, the goat has just been set up again. Place your bets.

[@SurgStriker]

you may not be a comedian, but your comedic timing and delivery was spot on in this video

[@HydraVolt12]

I find it very interesting that the goat hasn't burned down since this video was made (or rather posted, RIP 2016 goat).

[@23skiddsy6]

The goat has burned! The curse has lifted!

[@Flamingaaa]

REJOICE BROTHERS SISTERS AND NON BINARY SIBLINGS!

[@akwardawsomness]

the goat has been defeated once again, not by fire but by birds

[@RainaRamsay]

Curious to know if this video gets a spike in views every time the goat burns down.

[@Tuuralihn]

This is probably the funniest Tom Scott video.

[@Overrice]

Hey Tom, this reminded me of a tradition we have with burning a huge man called a "Böögg" every year in Switzerland, during the Sechseläuten in Zurich. And according to the tradition, the faster it burns, the better the weather will be that year.