Post by MELLY on Dec 10, 2005 3:40:42 GMT -5
(pic from epi.gavle.se/gk/t_engelsk.asp?id=9138)
CLICK BELOW 4 LIVE CAM...C IF U CAN CATCH EM DOING IT!
www.camcentral.com/camviewer.php?script=listings&task=list&item=location&show=Sweden&page=5&id=16960
Fascinating cam this! lol This Goat is built every Xmas in Gavle in Sweden but party heads usually drunk set it alight & burn it down.. It was burnt down about a week ago but they have now rebuilt it again so i thought i would put it up here Try & see if u catch em doing it! lol Its a big thing now Apperently with british bookies even taking bets how long it will last..Read bbc news article below..
Weird ritual of the burning goat
The straw goat after it was set alight in Gavle, Sweden
The goat has burned down 22 times since 1966
A giant straw goat erected every year in a Swedish town to mark the festive season has been burned down - again.
Police in the town of Gavle said the 13-metre (43ft) high billy goat has been set on fire so often it has almost become a Christmas ritual.
It was the 22nd time it has gone up in smoke since the town, north of Stockholm, began the tradition in 1966.
Two men were seen running from the blaze, one of whom was disguised as Father Christmas, said police.
Police spokeswoman Margareta Olander said officers received a call late Saturday evening to report the goat was on fire.
"In just a couple of minutes only a sooty wooden skeleton remained," police spokeswoman Margareta Olander told Associated Press.
BILLY GOAT HIGHLIGHTS
1966: The first goat is burned down - beginning the tradition
1970: It is set on fire six hours after being erected
1971: Tired of arson, the project is abandoned. Schoolchildren build a miniature. It is smashed to pieces.
1976: A car crashes into the goat
1979: The goat is burned down before it is finished
1987: The goat is treated with fire-proofing - but still goes up in smoke
n 1998 the goat burned on 11 December, despite a snowstorm. It was built again.
In 1999 the goat burned a few hours after being built. A new one was in place for St. Lucia Day.
In 2000 the goat burned a few days before New Years Day
In 2001 the goat burned on 23 December. The starter of the fire, a 51-year-old man from USA, was arrested.
In 2002 the goat survived.
In 2003 the goat burned down two nights before St. Lucia Eve. A new goat was in place about a week later and it survived in one piece.
In 2004 the goat burned down on 21 December, three days before Christmas. The goat was not rebuilt.
Several measures have been tried to protect the goat with varying degrees of success, including fire-proofing, security guards and a web camera.
Just 10 of the goats, which are built in the town's central square, have survived beyond Christmas since 1966.
Most have been burned, sometimes within hours of being built during the first week of December.
The culprits are seldom caught. However, a 51-year-old American tourist spent 18 days in jail after being convicted of setting it alight in December 2001.
please be respectful.