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(BBC) Strange Every Christmas Swedes build a giant straw goat and protect it using fireproofing chemicals, security guards and a web camera. Every year vandals burn it down   (news.bbc.co.uk) divider line 80
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80 Comments   (+0 »)


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staplermofo [TotalFark] 2008-12-27 01:42:42 PM  
Goat committee spokeswoman Anna Ostman

And people make fun of Americans for falling for Borat.

 
z_gringo [TotalFark] 2008-12-27 01:50:21 PM  
that sounds awesome. It sounds like burning it down is as much a tradition as building. They should make it formal and have a Goat Burning holiday. Kind of like Guy Fawkes night or something.

 
trouzourt [TotalFark] 2008-12-27 02:16:10 PM  
You know this reminds me of the Israeli / Palestinian situation .
IF they stopped building the goat, it would stop being burnt.
damn sweeds are asking for it..

 
slobarnuts 2008-12-27 05:07:34 PM  
In 2005, it was torched by two arsonists dressed as Father Christmas and the Gingerbread Man.

That is AWESOME.

 
Zoinks! [TotalFark] 2008-12-27 05:40:04 PM  
It is rare for a single story to completely capture the essence of fark.com. This is that story.

Thank you, Sweden.

 
optikeye [TotalFark] 2008-12-27 06:03:24 PM  
So far this year, people from 105 countries have followed the goat via the webcams and many become really sad when they learn that he's burned down.

I rather doubt that.

 
nich0lai [recently expired TotalFark] 2008-12-27 06:52:19 PM  
Best. Tradition. Ever.

 
CruJones 2008-12-27 06:52:33 PM  
slobarnuts: In 2005, it was torched by two arsonists dressed as Father Christmas and the Gingerbread Man.

That is AWESOME.


That's the funniest thing I've heard all day.

Does anyone want to go for it next year?

 
Zombie Hitler 2008-12-27 06:53:01 PM  
Buxom lasses and encouraged arson? Sweden, you're all right.

 
Supernoma 2008-12-27 06:54:02 PM  
slobarnuts: In 2005, it was torched by two arsonists dressed as Father Christmas and the Gingerbread Man.

That is AWESOME.

That's the funniest thing I've heard all day.

Does anyone want to go for it next year?


I'm in!

 
Gyrfalcon [TotalFark] 2008-12-27 06:54:38 PM  
I seem to see a day when Burning Goat Sweden becomes as great a festival as Burning Man in Nevada. You just can't keep a good arsonfest down.

 
not2bright 2008-12-27 06:55:46 PM  
Reminded me of this:

"Who dropped a whole truckload of fizzies into the swim meet? Who delivered the medical school cadavers to the alumni dinner? Every Halloween, the trees are filled with underwear. Every spring, the toilets explode."

affiliate.imarcsgroup.com

 
SoxSweepAgain 2008-12-27 06:57:07 PM  
That's an engineered tradition, but I like engineered traditions.

/sucker am I.

 
LargeCanine 2008-12-27 06:57:55 PM  
not2bright: Reminded me of this:

"Who dropped a whole truckload of fizzies into the swim meet? Who delivered the medical school cadavers to the alumni dinner? Every Halloween, the trees are filled with underwear. Every spring, the toilets explode."


I came here for this.

Actually, I was looking for a pic of Dean Wormer to post, but you beat me to it.

 
andre321 2008-12-27 06:59:30 PM  
Now that's a good tradition.

 
mochunk 2008-12-27 07:00:23 PM  
Well, they already are quite good at church burnings, it only makes sense goats would be next.

 
Oznog 2008-12-27 07:00:43 PM  
upload.wikimedia.org

Now if only we could somehow get an outsider to climb INSIDE...

 
ciocia [TotalFark] 2008-12-27 07:02:20 PM  
A thought springs to mind--never mind putting fireproof crud on the goat. Try not making it out of something as flammable as, say, STRAW. The ultimate in doing it wrong.

 
Cold1s 2008-12-27 07:02:34 PM  
Zoinks!: It is rare for a single story to completely capture the essence of fark.com. This is that story.

I agree, even the actual headline is full of Farky goodness.

Festive goat up in flames again

Screw Burning Man, I'm going to Sweden.

 
CTaylor80 [TotalFark] 2008-12-27 07:06:09 PM  
FTFA:Goat committee spokeswoman Anna Ostman said she was saddened to learn that this year's unlucky creature had been set on fire early on Saturday morning.


Yeah, I lost it right there too. Humor, the British do it right.

/damn, Firefox flags "humour"

 
CruJones 2008-12-27 07:08:09 PM  
So if you get caught, only spend 18 days in swedish jail. I think I'm ok with that.

/guards are chicks?

 
Gaylord Farker 2008-12-27 07:15:26 PM  
FTA: "So far this year, people from 105 countries have followed the goat via the webcams and many become really sad LAUGH THEIR ASS OFF AND THINK IT WAS FINALLY WORTH FOLLOWING AN INANIMATE STRAW ANIMAL ON A WEBCAM when they learn that he's burned down."

FTFA (Anna)

 
TheBigBadCrystallineEntity 2008-12-27 07:17:20 PM  
TFA: 1979: The goat is burned down before it is finished

Wow. Sometimes they can't even get it finished. You really can't protect a giant goat?

 
Sum Dum Gai 2008-12-27 07:19:44 PM  
ciocia: A thought springs to mind--never mind putting fireproof crud on the goat. Try not making it out of something as flammable as, say, STRAW. The ultimate in doing it wrong.

Julbock are a centuries-old tradition, and they're always made out of straw. That's kind of the point; they're a harvest symbol as well as a symbol for Christmas.

 
hershmire 2008-12-27 07:22:34 PM  
That's a fine way to get their goat.

 
LineNoise [TotalFark] 2008-12-27 07:28:19 PM  
FTFA:

1971: Tired of arson, the project is abandoned. Schoolchildren build a miniature. It is smashed to pieces.

Now THAT is humor my friends.

 
grotto_man 2008-12-27 07:28:39 PM  
Cold1s

Screw Burning Man

Did you see Thunderpussy at Burning Goat? They were great!

See. we Americans are smarter about our giant effigies - we expect them to be burned so we do it ourselves.

BTW, here's a pic of the 2007 goat:

www.garretson.info

Maybe there'll be a Trojan Goat bit from the next Monty Python film.

 
eff ewe 2008-12-27 07:32:36 PM  
eff ewe: Should have used bricks.

Oh, that worked well...

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15661/15661-h/images/g0060.jpg

 
raidi0head 2008-12-27 07:35:01 PM  
1971: Tired of arson, the project is abandoned. Schoolchildren build a miniature. It is smashed to pieces.

I LOL'd. That is freaking hilarious. They can't even build a miniature one without it getting destroyed.

 
Lar Jorgen 2008-12-27 07:50:02 PM  
What do the arsonists have against the goat? Is there some kind of Santa Syndicate that I'm not aware of?

 
Ashtrey 2008-12-27 07:52:50 PM  
Oznog: Now if only we could somehow get an outsider to climb INSIDE...

Burning this goat won't bring back your farking honey!

 
Lusiphur 2008-12-27 07:58:24 PM  
Supernoma: I'm in!

Applying for my passport monday!

Really, I think 18 days in sweedish jail are worth the massive ammount of win involved. Maybe make a fark contest out of it: First farker to burn down the goat wins a lifetime TF membership. Whaddaya say, Drew?

 
Crown_of_Shoes 2008-12-27 08:00:00 PM  
I'm thinking thermite arrows are the only way to go. We fill a VW microbus with dudes dressed like vikings and they lay in with the arrows.

 
Khazar-Khum 2008-12-27 08:05:04 PM  
What are they supposed to do with it after the New Year? Tear it down? Or is there a special day where it's supposed to be destroyed?

 
Suede head 2008-12-27 08:07:22 PM  
The vandals are rarely caught, though in 2001 a 51-year-old American tourist spent 18 days in jail after being convicted of setting it alight.

Stay classy, America!

 
Pinky Floyd 2008-12-27 08:12:22 PM  
Goats have a special place in Swedish tradition. According to folklore, they delivered festive gifts before Father Christmas took over.

YHGTBFKM. You mean that the swedes had a "Billy the Christmas Goat"?? That deserves a bonghit.

/Forget the dwarf..hand me the pliers

 
i.r.id10t 2008-12-27 08:12:44 PM  
Khazar-Khum - apparently no one has ever gotten that far...

 
SLP 2008-12-27 08:21:08 PM  
Stay classy, America!

Well, in his defense, I seem to recall that he was convinced by a couple of locals in a bar that night that it was a Big Swedish Tradition to burn it up. American dude promptly, and very drunkenly, set it alight, I guess believing he was doing something authentically ethnic.

/ Used to work across the street
// Would always cheer when the julbocken got torched

 
Cornwell [TotalFark] 2008-12-27 08:23:29 PM  
Remember kids: Non-flammable is a challenge!

 
jamspoon 2008-12-27 08:23:45 PM  
www.nicholsoncartoons.com.au

/seemed vaguely appropriate
//hotlinked - also seems appropriate

 
Oznog 2008-12-27 08:29:22 PM  
1971: Tired of arson, the project is abandoned. Schoolchildren build a miniature. It is smashed to pieces.

1973: Another goat built. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp.

 
Telephone Sanitizer Second Class 2008-12-27 08:33:03 PM  
i196.photobucket.com

When did the BBC turn into the Onion?

 
studebaker hoch 2008-12-27 08:42:03 PM  
sk1.yt-thm-a03.yimg.com

 
CygnusDarius [TotalFark] 2008-12-27 08:44:40 PM  
I have an idea. Build the goat with brick and mortar.

 
Sp1kez 2008-12-27 08:44:58 PM  
I'll setup a fund so that farkers can donate for a single use RPG launcher and plane tickets for blowing up the goat next year.

you all can watch from wrbcam and ill bring a cam with me to record the event and the getaway

 
BarryJV 2008-12-27 08:52:46 PM  
Khazar-Khum: What are they supposed to do with it after the New Year?

No-one's found out yet.

 
Sp1kez 2008-12-27 08:53:06 PM  
Okay I'll be collecting donations until december next year

donate $1 or $100, I don't care, everybit helps. As long as I get enough for tickets Ill find a way to burn it. I'm open to suggestions

send donation to paypal closdi[nospam-﹫-backwards]l­i­a­mg*c­o­m

 
Sp1kez 2008-12-27 08:55:03 PM  
Filterpwned

send paypal to

c l o s d i at g m a i l d o t c o m

 
Sarcastica75 [TotalFark] 2008-12-27 08:57:01 PM  
GOATS THREAD

 
Cornwell [TotalFark] 2008-12-27 08:58:48 PM  
CygnusDarius: I have an idea. Build the goat with brick and mortar.

Thermite, dynamite and other fun things ending in -ite will get involved. You don't mess with a great tradition, that just makes the people behind all of this more creative in order to maintain tradition.

Similar story. Back where I grew up, a particular shed at a particular bus stop was frequently destroyed by vandals. So they erected one made from solid timbers of wood, which only meant that the vandals lit up a huge-ass fire inside of it, burning it down. The next solution was an aluminum shed, which was taken down with a hacksaw. Metal? Same fate.

The end result?

i405.photobucket.com

This is a couple of tons worth of a scoop from one of the loaders from a nearby mine. It sits on top of a base made from reinforced concrete, and there's just about only a millimeter worth of opening between the base and the scoop anywhere. The scoop itself doesn't just sit there, it's fixed by means of a couple of feet worth of steel welded to it's base, and then integrated into the base.

According to one of the engineers who helped design this thing, it will take nothing short of TNT to destroy this thing, and in order to actually blow the scoop of its base, it would require enough TNT to also displace quite a few windows in nearby houses and businesses. The best people can hope to achieve, is to set a series of charges and blow out the base, having the thing tilt forwards. And that's about an afternoon's worth of work to fix again.

My point?

A julbock weighing in at a couple of tons, cast in iron, might just work. But it would have to be properly secured, unless someone would get creative with a crane and a truck.

 
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