To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page. At the fraught start of an apocalyptic new year weird sliver of hope in the improbable survival of Sweden's Gävle Goat a massive straw goat that sanguine residents have built each Christmas since 1966 but that malevolent humanity has they burn him down; he's also been beaten bird-pecked to collapse and shot with flaming arrows by perps dressed as Gingerbread Men Because we are a mystifying species with often-impenetrable rituals, the Yule Goat is erected each year on the first day of Advent at Slottstorget in the center of Gävle, about a hundred miles north of Stockholm. A 45-foot-high replica of a Northern European Christmas symbol, Gävlebocken seems to have sprung from German paganism fused with Norse tradition He is based on ancient proto-Slavic beliefs that honor Devac (Dažbog) typically depicted as a white goat; he also celebrates Devac's bestie the Norse god Thor who rode the sky in a chariot drawn by two goats the last sheaf of grain bundled in the harvest is imbued with magical properties that symbolize the sacred spirit of the harvest unfortunate relationship between the Gävle Goat and the local fire department." On Dec the first Goat was laboriously put into place; it weighed three tons The perpetrator was caught and charged with vandalism but it was the first of many such grim fates for Gävlebocken: In 57 years and incarnations he's survived intact till New Year's Day just 19 times a Norwegian crossed the border and tried to burn him down Ohio was arrested for torching him; he said he thought it was a legal tradition "unknown vandals" dressed as Santa Clauses and Gingerbread Men shot flaming arrows at the Goat; a few days later they were featured on Sweden’s TV3 "Most Wanted" program officials decided to skip drenching his straw in fire retardants because they made the goat look ugly "like a brown terrier." Intrigued arsonists failed twice; a third succeeded goat-burners were so determined they first hacked the webcam launching a denial of service to knock it offline before they did the fiery deed and was holding a lighter in his hand." Arson as a Christmas Tradition: The Gävle Goat I'm hard to resist," "I made it!" "Looks aren't everything but I have them just in case." Still, the bluster is understandable: Sweden's "arson goat" reigns. The live goat-cam has over 14,000 subscribers; it even has a live chat. There are still people tracking and betting on his market value and survival odds; this year's started at a 6% chance to make it to New Year's. A website offers merch from a Kidnapped Christmas sweater complete with helicopter to a burning goat tree ornament: "To die for you is my greatest honor." Online - "Get notified if the Gävle Goat is burning!" - people update speculate: "It's goat-burning season Hungry birds?" "Security guard caught smoking," "Only 27 hours left - will the Gävle Goat survive?" Reddit (category: "Goats in the News") ranges from optimists - "Still holding on this year" - to sadists: "The destruction of this goat is my favorite holiday tradition." It’s the most goating time of the year in Scandinavia All cultures have their quirky Christmas traditions — especially in Europe — from Catalonian poopers to the Alpine Krampus so it’s no surprise that some Nordic countries build Yule goat figures to celebrate the holidays nothing screams Christmas like the image of a screaming goat The historical roots of the hollow-horned mammal’s myth are unclear but many think it originated from German paganism or Norse traditions and has been associated with the god Thor — could he have built the first one with his hammer The goat has eventually morphed into a magical creature responsible for bringing presents to all kids on Christmas day (who needs a Rudolph when you can have a Billy the Kid?) it has become a must-have ornament on Scandinavian Christmas trees A shabby chic touch on the green pointy thing we all buy this time of year that is either plastic or real; the latter losing thousands of smaller pointy things on our floors from the day we shove it into our homes which we then have to clean up roughly twice a day for the following three to four weeks And that’s when a Swedish town decided to take its decorative skills to the next level The Gävle goat is a giant Yule goat statue (as high as 13 meters) made of straw where it is erected every year on the first day of Advent (2024 even saw a live stream of the event) and is truly majestic Nordic security guards have too much integrity — and better salaries — to be tempted by 50,000 kronor the Gävle goat should be considered an endangered ornament species But whether enough has been done to allow this year’s specimen to make it to Dec “Sweeeeeeeeet Carolineeeee … ta ta taaaaaa” Can you do better? Email us at [email protected] or get in touch on X @POLITICOEurope Here’s the best from our postbag — there’s no prize except for the gift of laughter which I think we can all agree is far more valuable than cash or booze The two world leaders spent a day love-bombing and singing each other’s praises But it’s also on hold … Maybe it’s already over The finest of Europe’s far right are outraged Italy’s Transport Minister and master of nuance a member of the Andritz Group,has received an order from Billerud to supply a OnePlatform web monitoring and web inspection system with winder and re-winder controls for the board mill in Gävle This new system will replace the existing ones Billerud will strengthen its capability to meet the highest quality needs of its liquid board packaging customers and increase its production efficiency System installation is scheduled for the third quarter of 2025 Procemex’s scope of web inspection includes multiple measurement geometries and technologies to efficiently detect various types of defects High-resolution low-angle reflection and 3D defect detection will ensure effective identification of elevated defects and indents The innovative Procemex UV light detection technology will detect even the most subtle oil defects ensuring superior product safety for BM5’s liquid packaging board The scope also includes high-resolution high-angle reflection and transmission detection for comprehensive product quality assurance a total of 120 smart cameras will be provided The fully integrated web monitoring system features 40 extremely light-sensitive Procemex Lumina Supersense smart cameras paired with powerful Procemex Eco strobe lights Every web monitoring camera position is equipped with the latest Procemex ProClean pinhole technology guaranteeing continuous sheet visibility while reducing maintenance needs The scope of supply will also include winder and re-winder control (ATC) enabling efficient and optimized winder operation Procemex will provide system installation supervision a leading full-service packaging solutions supplier for the world’s biggest beauty SPM International announces Bill Partipilo as the new CEO of SPM Instrument boxboard production in Q1 2025 fell 1% compared to Q1 2024 Smurfit Westrock plc announced it will permanently close its coated recycled board (CRB) mill in.. Valmet will deliver a disc filter refurbishment and reinstallation to Holmen Paper’s Braviken Paper Mill.. By Belinda Kelly According to new research Nordic Paper has today decided to approve environmental investments of up to SEK 450 million.. Together with its Turkish partner company Labtek the German testing equipment manufacturer emtec Electronic will.. Mondi has successfully started up its Duino mill This milestone further strengthens Mondi’s position as.. Gulf Paper Manufacturing and Toscotec started up PM2 after a forming section upgrade at their.. Södra delivered a stable result for the first quarter of 2025 VPK Group announces the acquisition of Open Imballaggi a well-established sheet plant specializing in corrugated.. a leading full-line supplier of technologies and services for the paper industry Amcor and Berry Global Group recently announced the European Commission (EC) has granted unconditional approval.. Stora Enso plans to implement a new organisation with seven P&L responsible business areas reflecting.. Georgia-Pacific’s Savannah River mill in Rincon now accepts polyethylene (PE)-coated paper cups in its.. a global leader in sustainable chemical solutions for water-intensive industries announces that it has invested in Kinki Danboru a privately-owned business located in Zellwood a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging solutions SCA Logistics terminal in Sundsvall has invested in a new knuckle boom crane John Hardwick Twitter Facebook a town puts up a giant straw statue of a goat It's to mark the beginning of the holiday season Then they wait — and sometimes bet — on whether the goat will make it to Christmas Because in the town of Gävle (say "yeah-vleh") someone always tries to burn down the goat people in northern Europe have had big festivals in December Those traditions became part of Christmas celebrations in places like Sweden Christmas elves would ride the Yule goat door to door to deliver gifts to sleeping children small goats made of straw are still one of the most popular Christmas decorations in Sweden the town of Gävle wanted something fun and Christmas-y for the town square A giant Yule goat seemed like a great idea It also wasn’t great that the giant statue was made of super-flammable straw the first Gävle goat actually made it all the way to New Year’s Eve before being burned down Goat statues in other years haven’t been so lucky the Gävle Yule goat has been destroyed at least 35 times The town has tried lots of different ways to protect their goat And the goat itself has been sprayed with water and flameproof chemicals Some years the goat even survives the whole holiday season a group dressed as Santa and gingerbread men fired flaming arrows into the goat Hackers in 2009 disabled the security cameras and set the goat on fire An American tourist was arrested for burning down the goat in 2001 He said he’d been told by his Swedish friends that burning the goat was OK The 50th anniversary of the first Yule goat statue was in 2016 It’s not always fire that gets the goat someone drove a car into the back legs of the statue a security guard reported that he’d been offered a bribe Two men planned on using a helicopter to fly away with the goat they’ve been urged to stop building the goat Or at least stop using the traditional straw But they’re proud of their Yule goat It’s been in the Guinness Book of World Records — for its size people visit the goat and take part in Yule celebrations Part of the reason people come may be to see how long the goat will last And some suspect that the town secretly likes all the attention every year they promise that this goat will go the distance the giant Yule goat was left alone for five years that streak came to an end when it was burnt to the ground Let's see if the Yule goat makes it this year CBC Kids uses cookies in order to function and give you a great experience. Your parent or guardian can disable the cookies by clicking here if they wish Mission Statement: to assist the integration of foreign residents living in Spain and this is never more accurate than when you establish yourself as a foreign resident in a new country Being able to quickly familiarise yourself with the culture and customs can help ease the transition during a challenging time This is why Euro Weekly News makes it our mission to provide you with a free news resource in English that covers both regional and national Spanish news – anything that we feel you will benefit from knowing as you integrate into your new community and live your best life in Spain you can forget about translating articles from Spanish into awkward English that probably don’t make much sense Let us be your convenient and essential guide to all things that will likely affect you as a foreign resident living in Spain Quirky Christmas traditions pop up all around Europe from the mean Krampus in Austria and Germany to Befana the witch in Italy who hands out presents instead of Santa In Scandinavia it’s a screaming goat that has tourists scratching their heads in confusion What could be more Christmassy than a screaming goat Probably originating from some form of paganism or Norse tradition the screaming goat took on the role of bringing Christmas gifts to children on Christmas Day no Christmas tree is without its decorative representation of the goat Whether this year’s Gävle goat makes it all the way to December 25 is yet to be seen. Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox! As a Swede reading this and scratching her head…Who told you that the goat is screaming? It does not! Read it in a few places. Thanks for the info. I’ll look into more and amend the article. You also have a typo at the end a bit. Where AI or spell check put a period where it doesn’t belong near the end. Right after the word (of and Scandinavian) making an improper sentence structure. Please proof read written articles in greater detail personally. Known as the PEOPLE’S PAPER, Euro Weekly News is the leading English language newspaper in Spain. And it’s FREE! Covering the Almeria, Axarquia, Costa Blanca North, Costa Blanca South, Costa del Sol , Costa Calida, Mallorca and beyond, EWN supports and inspires the individuals, neighbourhoods, and communities we serve, by delivering news with a social conscience. Whether it’s local news in Spain, UK news or international stories, we are proud to be the voice for the expat communities who now call Spain home. With around half a million print readers a week and over 1.5 million web views per month, EWN has the biggest readership of any English language newspaper in Spain. The paper prints over 150 news stories a week with many hundreds more on the web – no one else even comes close. Our publication has won numerous awards over the last 25 years including Best Free Newspaper of the Year (Premios AEEPP), Company of the Year (Costa del Sol Business Awards) and Collaboration with Foreigners honours (Mijas Town Hall). All of this comes at ZERO cost to our readers. All our print and online content always has been and always will be FREE OF CHARGE. Download our media pack in either English or Spanish. HomeDestinationsInterestsTop Places to Travel by MonthSearchMenuBest time to go to Sweden A giant goat statue made of straw is erected on the first day of Advent which originates from a Germanic pagan culture There's a theory that goats were celebrated because Thor Figurines and statues of goats made of straw appear at the beginning of the Advent season in late November or early December and are intended to stand for the holiday season Some of these statues can be quite massive The most famous Yule goat in Sweden is the Gävle goat erected in the oldest city of the historical Norrland Pagan festivals are believed to be the origin of the Yule goat One popular theory suggests that the goat is linked to the worship of the Norse god Thor who rode across the sky in a chariot drawn by two goats meaning “teeth bearer.” This connection to Norse mythology has become a part of the Yule and Christmas tradition according to Indo-European harvest traditions the last sheaf of grain during the harvest was believed to contain the spirit of the harvest and was saved for the Yule celebration Many goat-like harvest gods were part of early European customs the Yule goat played the role of a gift giver for the people of Sweden and was sometimes seen in place of or alongside Santa The Yule goat was believed to be an invisible spirit that would appear before Christmas to ensure that holiday preparations were done properly It was a popular Christmas prank to secretly place a festive goat made of straw or wood in a neighbor's house without them noticing The family would then have to sneakily pass the goat along in the same way the Yule goat has become a beloved Christmas ornament and decoration traditionally made of straw and bound with red ribbon Gävle goat (or Gävlebocken) is erected annually at Slottstorget (Castle Square) of Gävle by local community groups The colossal goat has an impressive height of about 43 ft (13 m) some pranksters burn the giant goat to the ground the majority of Gävle goats have been destroyed or damaged Despite video surveillance and a fire department watch nearby which marked the first such incident in five years The media has called Gävle goat a catnip for arsonists Yule goat is mentioned in many Swedish Christmas songs It has been a Christmas symbol in the country before Santa Claus are still a very popular Christmas ornament The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden Sweden vows to 'respond' to Trump's tariff threat Sweden's Foreign Trade Minister Benjamin Dousa said the Swedish government and the EU were well prepared to retaliate against US President Donald Trump's pledge to slap 25 tariffs on the union "So far not a single tariff has been imposed – neither on Mexico nor the EU – but if the US introduces tariffs on the EU we will of course respond," Dousa told the TT news agency saying the government and the EU had been preparing for this for months Trump told his first cabinet meeting on Wednesday: "We have made a decision and we’ll be announcing it very soon Dousa said there are no winners in a trade war "Neither Sweden nor the EU want to enter a trade war The US is an important market to us and Europe is an important market to American businesses If these tariffs are imposed on all the countries being talked about it will be felt in the wallets of both American businesses and households," he said Swedish vocabulary: a trade war – ett handelskrig Several people held after man shot dead in Gävle Several people are being held in connection with a fatal shooting in Gävle Police were called out to the Andersberg district of Gävle at around 4.45pm on Wednesday after gunshots were heard Gävle police confirmed that they're investigating the incident as murder and are questioning several suspects in connection with the shooting but declined to give any further information about the shooting or the people in custody at this early stage of the investigation Swedish vocabulary: a murder investigation – en mordutredning Swedes' diets have got less healthy in past 10 years Swedish diets are getting more and more unhealthy a new survey by the Public Health Agency reveals Swedes are eating fewer vegetables and root vegetables and more sweetened beverages such as soft drinks – a negative trend that goes as far back as 2016 Compared to the last public health survey from 2022 the proportion of people who eat fish twice a week or more has decreased by 5.4 percentage points while the proportion who consume sweetened beverages twice a week or more has increased by 3.5 percentage points especially when it comes to consumption of fruit and berries as well as vegetables but women's diets have deteriorated at a faster rate between 2016 and 2024 the proportion who drink sweetened beverages twice a week or more has increased by more than 10 percentage points compared to 2022 Sweden plans to send foreign citizens to prison in home countries The government has submitted a proposal to parliament which would allow Sweden to transfer foreign citizens with prison sentences over to their home countries The law, according to a press release will speed up the process of transferring a prison sentence abroad as well as increasing the number of prisoners who serve time elsewhere “The government’s restructuring of justice policy means that more people will be in prison for longer periods of time,” Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said in the statement “Now we’re putting strong proposals on parliament’s table which mean that people who have been convicted would be able to serve prison sentences in their homeland This would reduce the burden on Swedish prisons while looking after taxpayers’ money." Around a fifth of inmates in Swedish prisons are citizens of another country Swedish vocabulary: a prison – ett fängelse Please log in here to leave a comment Following the Swedish government’s rejection of 13 offshore wind farm proposals last month including Ørsted’s Skåne Offshore Wind Park the Danish developer revealed it will pause the development of this specific project Earlier in 2024, several areas offshore Sweden, where Ørsted is planning to build wind farms, were designated as energy areas by the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management the Swedish government rejected 13 applications to build offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea due to defense concerns while approving one project on the west coast being developed by Vattenfall in partnership with Zephyr One of those rejected applications was from Ørsted for the development of the 1.5 GW Skåne Offshore Wind Park located 22 kilometres south of the Skåne coast Ørsted says that they “are disappointed by the government’s decision as it limits the opportunities to develop Sweden’s capacity for offshore wind in the Baltic Sea and risks locking southern Sweden into electricity shortages and power deficits for a long time to come” the Danish company said it will continue with the development of offshore wind farms in the Kattegat and the Gulf of Bothnia regions The Kattegat Offshore Wind Farm is located offshore Halmstad and Falkenberg The project has a planned capacity of up to 1.5 GW The Gävle Öst and Gävle Väst projects are located in Gävle The planned capacity for Gävle Öst is up to 5.5 GW while Gävle Väst has a planned capacity of 4 GW Get in front of your target audience in one move OffshoreWIND.biz is read by thousands of offshore wind professionals daily Daily news and in-depth stories in your inbox Leveraging 20 years of experience with offshore windDecember 2023 will forever mark a milestone in our company history as we became part of the world-wide CS WIND group The acquisition goes beyond a mere change in ownership; it marks a leap into a future where our combined strengths will pave the way for optimized production […] But Gävle's iconic giant straw goat is newly back for another Christmas will it make it through the festive period ”We hope it will make it through the Christmas holidays and into next year we do hope so,” local politician Jan Myléus tells Radio Sweden Dave Russellenglish@sverigesradio.se plus weekly summary on Fridays at 4.30pm on P2 (P6 89.6FM in Stockholm) Kontakta gärna Sveriges Radios forum för teknisk support där vi besvarar dina frågor vardagar kl Home » HSwMS Gävle back in Swedish Navy service after mid-life upgrade “It is a do over and modernisation of everything on board: She will have the same hull but more or less all the systems on the inside are new” The modernisation has been carried out at Saab’s shipyard in Karlskrona and is the largest change the ship has gone through during her lifetime her sister-ship HSwMS Sundsvall is going through the same modifications and will be delivered in 2022 “The Flotilla welcomes HSwMS Gävle and her crew back to service The ship will now be able to contribute to the navy’s ongoing maritime surveillance tasaks The ship and crew and will play an important part in the Navy’s active defence“ Four Göteborg-class corvettes were delivered to the Swedish Navy between 1990 and 1993 while HSwMS Sundsvall is currently undergoing the same mid-life modification as HSwMS Gävle the two ships will be known as Gävle-class The goal of modernization is for the vessels to better interact directly and indirectly with the other systems and subsystems of the Swedish armed forces Another stated direction has been to maintain the ship’s ability for submarine warfare The upgrade program includes a number of new systems Mid-life modification means that the vessel receives an estimated service life that extends at least six years after delivery Naval News brings you news coverage of the latest naval defense shows & events We are also reporting on naval technology from all over the world and Christian Lundin are planning to create two distinct playing experiences for Gävle’s Old and Anan courses Gävle lies on the Baltic Sea coast and has been a proving ground for many Swedish professionals Gävle Golfklubb in Sweden has appointed golf course architects Tim Lobb and Christian Lundin to develop a new masterplan for its two 18-hole courses and practice facilities the Swedish architect who also heads up Henrik Stenson’s design practice have formally collaborated on a design project Both architects were in London last week for a ‘Live Learning’ meeting of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects – of which Lobb is the current president and Lundin a council member – at which they spoke exclusively with GCA about the Gävle project “We were both invited to submit a proposal to the club separately,” said Lobb “We’re good friends and have great respect for each other professionally and felt that this would be an ideal opportunity to combine our skills.” With a population of approximately 80,000 people Gävle lies approximately 100 miles north of Stockholm on Sweden’s Baltic Sea coast The club is the only golf facility in the area and has been the proving ground for many professionals with siblings Marlene and Peter both winners on the European Tour Gävle’s Old course is 6,100 yards and the Avan is 6,900 yards “The Old course is quite short and narrow – it’s quirky,” said Lundin “Whereas the Avan is longer and more open.” The club also has a nine-hole par three course and additional practice facilities Lundin explained that only small changes have been made over the past 20 years “The club realised the courses were showing their age and needed attention,” he said “Then they had a really bad winter with flooding which then froze over to create what was basically the best ice rink in the area.” “What we’re exploring now is how to create a really strong identity and contrast for each course giving two distinct playing experiences,” said Lobb “The Old will remain shorter and more intimate and may be a bit more friendly to players with slower swing speeds Whereas the Avan will be a true championship venue.” “Gävle has a real tradition of creating great golfers so the practice facilities will be a very important aspect of the project,” said Lundin “The club has always had indoor practice options which allow golfers to train in winter and I think is part of why they have been so successful.” Lobb and Lundin are now working on several masterplan options to give the club solutions for a range of budgets and design preferences each of which will also address some safety options that have emerged as properties have been constructed close to the course boundaries They will present their initial ideas before the end of 2022 with a view to creating a final masterplan by spring 2023 with the hope that work could begin in 2024 Welcome to portstrategy.com. This site uses cookies. Read our policy webinars and articles on innovations and current trends in the ports and terminals industry Alternatively REGISTER for website access and sign up for email alerts PACECO GROUP contributes to the expansion and capacity increase to meet the growing demands of the Yilport Gävle (Sweden) and Yilport Liscont (Portugal) Container Terminals Want to read more before deciding on a subscription It only takes a minute to sign up for a free account and you’ll get to enjoy: Get more free content sign up today Ready to subscribe? Choose from one of our subscription packages for unlimited access Site powered by Webvision Cloud The small Swedish town of Gävle harbors a history of repeated sustained vandalism, unexpected in the polite mild-mannered Nordic country. Making of Yule Goats, straw goat figures are an ancient Christmas tradition in Nordic countries, dating back probably even to pre-Christian times and pagan celebrations of winter solstice. In 1966 an advertising consultant, Stig Gavlén, came up with the idea of making a giant version a Yule Goat and placing it in the town square. Ironically the "chief engineer" on this project was his brother Jesper Gavlén, also the towns fire department chief. At the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, the goat went up in flames. Thus the tragic history of Gävlebocken began. In the following years the goat has been burned a total of 23 times, in a few instances in mere hours after being assembled, sometimes even before being actually being built. In addition to that, it has been smashed to pieces several times, and once even run over by a car. Nowadays people can even place bets on the goat's survival with certain Swedish and British bookmakers. Since 1986, two goats are built, one by a society of Southern Merchants and the other one by the Natural Science Club of Vasa School. This split is a result of the goats' complicated history, though both goats suffer the same inevitable fate. In 2009, the Southern Merchants version survived an arson attempt on December 7. It was finally stolen on December 14. Someone tried to throw the Natural Science Club goat into the river on December 11. On December 23 this goat was torched after a coordinated DDoS attack on the two websites hosting live video webcam feeds. Nothing, it seems, can save the Yule goat. The goat is there from December 1st until Christmas. Since 2019, there are also special street signs around the square where the goat is located. These hang year round. Home to the world's largest collection of nutcrackers. Danish children are taught that Santa lives in Greenland, at this exact cabin. This vintage theme park is peak Christmas kitsch—and it's open all summer. Because holiday cheer is at its finest when it includes eerie mannequins, right? Every winter, this former planetarium is transformed into a massive, brightly-lit Christmas ornament. An entire home filled with over 3,000 pieces of Santa memorabilia in glass cases, walls, on Christmas trees, and even in the bathroom. This animatronic Christmas village within an industrial park creates a whimsical juxtaposition. A market built atop boats is one of the few floating holiday markets in Europe. Frontiers has entered into a national open access agreement with Sweden’s academic consortium Bibsam that will allow unlimited publishing in all Frontiers journals without charge to authors or institutions. Learn more The University of Gävle (Högskolan i Gävle) supports their authors publishing open access. As part of this support, eligible authors from the University of Gävle will benefit from a 10% discount under the terms of the Sweden Open Access Publishing Framework Agreement To submit your article under this institutional agreement it is recommended you submit with an email domain affiliated to your institution please select ‘University of Gävle’ as the institutional payer in the invoice section Frontiers will then verify your eligibility with the University of Gävle Library the discounted APC invoice will be paid by the Library If you have any questions, or want to check if your article is eligible, please contact the University of Gävle Library at openaccess@hig.se For information on Frontiers’ institutional agreements please visit our institutional membership page or contact institutions@frontiersin.org to discuss the possibilities for your library. Yilport Gävle has reported a 30 per cent increase in container volume and an average annual growth rate of 14 per cent over the past three years despite the Swedish market shrinking by 3 per cent in 2021 Yilport Gävle’s quays reportedly handle over 50 per cent of containers on Sweden’s east coast Yilport Gävle’s market share of the total container volume in Sweden thus rose from nine to 12 per cent Yilport Gävle’s market share has increased by 10 points during the same period part of the explanation for the large increase over these years is the billion-dollar investment in new infrastructure that Yilport Gävle carried out in 2021 The investment consisted of an expansion of the container terminal where 75,000 square metres of land area was added six automated RTG – cranes with the possibility of refrigerated container storage and a border control station for foodstuffs The investment has more than doubled its capacity increasing from 250,000 TEU to 600,000 TEU per year together with a strong Swedish base industry has benefited the containerisation of export goods at Yilport Gävle’s four Container Freight Stations (CFS) In recent years, there have been new import routes via Gävle, with the Stockholm area as their final destination. This expansion is mainly because of the strategic positioning of the sister terminal, Yilport Stockholm Nord, located in Rosersberg between Stockholm and Uppsala, which sits within Sweden’s largest consumer market there has been an increase in the frequency of our train service between Yilport Gävle and Yilport Stockholm Nord Some weeks have even seen the need for an additional fifth train to manage the higher volume of cargo READ: Yilport enhances its train shuttle network in Sweden stated:  Sweden’s east coast has a new container giant in Yilport Gävle “Our investments in infrastructure and efficient logistics solutions have not only cemented our position as leaders but also enabled significant growth despite a challenging market We are well placed in the middle of central Sweden with proximity to both Stockholm and northern Sweden which attracts new customers and more import flows the increased capacity has enabled the shipping companies to increase the size of the ships calling at us “We will continue to operate more solutions as a terminal operator to meet our customers’ needs and at the same time develop our business.” Last October, the Port of Kapellskär, part of Ports of Stockholm, welcomed the new Finnlines vessel equipped with auto mooring technology using vacuum pads and onshore power connections More recently, YILPORT collaborated with Spedition Bode and Kombiverkehr GmbH & Co. KG to double the number of departures between Stockholm Nord and Europe as part of its investment in expanded train service DP World is set to implement OneStop Modal and the OneStop Vehicle Booking System (VBS) The US House of Representatives has voted to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency‘s (EPA) 2023 global schedule reliability surged to 57.5 per cent Container throughput at the Port of Melbourne totalled 267,000 TEUs in March 2025 Cover image: ©Associated Press The death toll has risen to at least 70 In a milestone event for the maritime industry a tanker conducted an unloading operation while connected to shore power at the Port of Gävle the product tanker Tern Fors was connected to the newly built shore power facility for over three hours and carried out an unloading operation using shoreside electricity as the power source The operation is the culmination of years of preparation by Swedish/Danish tanker operator Terntank and the Port of Gävle unloading is the most energy-consuming operation for a tanker as the vessel’s own pumps have to be operated During the Tern Fors’ unloading operation “It was a completely magical feeling at the moment when we switched to shore power It felt like we were experiencing something groundbreaking,” Robert Friborg A large project that started in Gothenburg Shore power for tankers has only been available in one port in the USA for regular traffic Connecting tankers to shore power is said to be complex due to the permanent risk of explosions when a tanker is docked in energy ports This is because flammable products are pumped and can easily be ignited by electrical equipment The Port of Gothenburg leads the Green Cable project with the aim of developing a new global standard for the electrical connection of tankers at the dock in a hazardous environment the crew on board Tern Fors had direct contact with technicians from subcontractors in both Norway and China while the port had its electricians on site “We did encounter some challenges during the day and then it went as planned,” Lennart Knutsson Tern Fors tested the connection in Gävle in February this year without connecting power various improvements and adjustments have been made and we were unloading completely without any auxiliary machines connected If anything were to happen to the connection ensuring that there is never a blackout on board.” says Lennart Knutsson the cable is in a container with overpressure air to prevent any gases from entering The small connection house on board the vessel is then filled with nitrogen to ensure it is under 5 percent oxygen so that nothing can explode if a spark occurs Evaluations are now awaited from both the port and the shipping company before Tern Fors it will probably go much smoother; now we know more about how the connection should be made and that it works as intended it will likely be much quicker,” Knutsson concluded The Pioneers of Offshore Engineering GustoMSC part of NOV’s Marine and Construction business is recognized for providing advanced design & engineering consultancy for mobile offshore units and reliable equipment and technical knowledge into realistic & innovative ideas The performance of new and existing jack-ups The 2017 Gävle Goat was built this past weekend, and this year, its protectors swear things will be different. “We will have cameras and two security guards in place,” pledged Maria Wallberg, a municipality spokesperson, in an interview “We have also put up double fences.” When asked whether there are further security measures in place saying only “it’s secret.” Another beautiful view from last night. Well, the fireworks were nice too. 😉🌟 #gävlebocken #sharegävle pic.twitter.com/8INaCnsLtT In this way, two equal and opposite traditions were born. Every year, the town puts up a goat, and every year, people try to destroy it. So far, the scorecard stands at goat—12 The town has fought back with everything from chicken wire (1969) to a volunteer guard brigade (1990) and increasingly thick coats of flame retardant. They haven’t had a victory since 2014, when the goat defeated at least one attempt on its life and survived the season thanks in part to a strategically placed taxi stand that discouraged sneak attackers On Sunday, December 3, a large crowd gathered to inaugurate this year’s sculpture, and things went well. Fireworks exploded, but the goat did not. Bands were struck up instead of matches. And when everyone left for the evening, they could continue checking in on the goat via a 24-7 livestream (Although the stream went down for a few hours today Although the goat’s enemies are doubtlessly plotting already maybe they should leave it alone this year and everything’s on fire but the Gävle Goat We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the world’s hidden wonders Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders The latest Guardian documentary visits Gävle where local custodians try to protect a giant straw goat from mischievous pagans in a fight for the spirit of Christmas Welcome to the small northern Swedish city of Gävle where there’s an annual battle over a 12-metre-high straw effigy of a goat Local custodians try to protect a giant straw goat from mischievous pagans in a fight for the spirit of Christmas the business owners pay for a goat to be built in the central square on the first day of advent the goat has been burnt down or damaged by shadowy outsiders In the latest Guardian documentary, Killing Gävle residents and those who might want to burn the goat explain their hopes and motivations as Christmas approaches and the battle over the goat is fired up once more drawing people in from the surrounding country Families bring their children to look in wonder and But there are other people in the dark forests that surround the city who hold an entirely different view of the goat They believe in a time before Christianity appeared in Sweden when people worshipped Norse gods including the goat goddess Heidrun (goddess of enlightenment) and the god of thunder Each night he would burn and then eat them only to wake up the following morning to them having been reborn and able to pull his chariot again The local pagans believe that the Christians of Gävle unknowingly build this giant statue to their god and that every year they must try to burn it down before the end of the year thus ensuring a return of the sun and another good year of harvests an epic fight is waged between these two opposed beliefs; an elemental battle between light and darkness The people of the city corral around the goat protecting its symbolism of innocence and community as every year others make their way into the town to try to burn the goat down How is this year’s Gävle goat doing? Burned down or still standing? Check on the goat’s status on this webcam 20:10Killing Gävle Killing Gävle is commissioned in partnership with Docsville and a whole new way of interacting in public emerges Cuba’s state communications company installed internet points in public parks and despite the signal being weak the world was opened up a bit more for a population that has always been innovative in using new technology The priority is chatting – connecting with family members in other countries We meet a selection of characters of all generations grappling with how to use their smartphones and wifi in a country where connecting with other people tends to be complicated From the Guardian: with the news of Donald Trump’s plans to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, you might like to rewatch one of our old documentaries, Forever Pure proud to call themselves ‘the most racist team in the country’ it vividly demonstrates the tensions of this holy city which pre-empted the banning of the Russian team from the Winter Olympics We’re particularly excited about Bisbee ‘17 If you like what we do with documentaries at the Guardian, then please consider becoming a supporter. Our ability to investigate and expose stories such as these is made possible by our supporters. Join today to support our journalism Yilport Gävle Terminal in Sweden has received three highly-efficient and environmentally friendly ship-to-shore (STS) Portainer cranes from Paceco Group to increase its competitiveness The cranes were manufactured by Japanese-based MITSUI E&S Machinery which also took part in the unloading of the new equipment at the port as well as electrical connections and commissioning alongside Paceco Momentum four similar Paceco STS Portainer cranes have left the MITSUI E&S Machinery facilities in Oita scheduled to arrive at the Yilport Liscont Container Terminal in Portugal These cranes are designed to expand the production capacity of the terminal and are scheduled to arrive at the end of 2021 Previously, it was announced that Yilport Gävle Container Terminal would also receive eight Kalmar heavy terminal tractors, covered under a Kalmar Optimal Care service agreement. The order was booked in Cargotec’s 2021 Q1 order intake with delivery scheduled for Q3 and Q4 of 2021. These machines came as part of a large order from Yilport Holding Inc. which also saw the Port of Oslo receive three Kalmar Eco reachstackers and two Kalmar reachstackers for empty container handling, the Leixões Container Terminal in Portugal receive two Kalmar Eco reachstackers, Yilport Huelva in Spain receive one Kalmar reachstacker and four Kalmar heavy terminal tractors and Yilport Gebze in Turkey receive one Kalmar Eco reachstacker and two Kalmar empty container handlers. DP World, in partnership with Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI), has announced the completion of major In March 2025, global schedule reliability surged to 57.5 per cent, the highest level recorded Container throughput at the Port of Melbourne totalled 267,000 TEUs in March 2025, reflecting a Cover image: ©Associated Press The death toll has risen to at least 70, with more The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) said the city of Gävle in Gästrikland Region recorded 161.6 mm of rain in 24 hours to 18 August with 101mm of that total falling in just 2 hours between 00:00 and 02:00 on 18 August The previous highest 24 hour total for the region was 125.8 mm set in 20217 SMHI said other areas saw high levels of rainfall including Hudiksvall Flood damage was reported in parts of Gävleborg and Dalarna Counties Many houses in Gävleborg County were flooded and have suffered major water damage Several roads were damaged in affected areas One road was completely destroyed in Borlänge Flooded railway tracks disrupted rail transport Schools were closed in Gävle and police asked the residents to stay at home and avoid roads Rescue services in Gävleborg received around 400 emergency calls about floods in the area Students have had to leave a hall of residence in Gävle after flood water washed away part of building’s foundations Richard Davies is the founder of floodlist.com and reports on flooding news Cookies | Privacy | Contacts © Copyright 2025 FloodList We continue to strengthen our presence in key markets develop innovative solutions and acquire companies in prioritised areas Saab's products are sold to over 100 countries and we currently operates in over 30 countries HMS Gävle was handed over to the Swedish Navy’s 4th Flotilla on Wednesday after a Mid-Life Upgrade The upgrade includes several new systems that all-in-all strengthens the navy’s capability in combat under water “It is a do over and modernisation of everything on board: She will have the same hull but more or less all the systems on the inside are new Project Manager for the Mid-Life Upgrade of HMS Gävle at FMV The modernisation has been carried out at Saab’s shipyard in Karlskrona and is the largest change the ship has gone through during her lifetime her sister-ship HMS Sundsvall is going through the same modifications and will be delivered in 2022 “The Flotilla welcomes HMS Gävle and her crew back to service The ship will now be able to contribute to the navy’s ongoing maritime surveillance tasaks The ship and crew and will play an important part in the Navy’s active defence" Chief of the Swedish Navy’s 4th Flotilla The modernisation of HMS Gävle includes a number of new systems Mk3B) and a modified variable depth sonar (VDS) all integrated with a new Combat Management System The ship has also been equipped with a new radar system together with an integrated IFF-system The radar system is a 3D radar system that measures bearing distance and elevation similar to the one in use on the Visby class corvettes The Mid-Life Upgrade means that the vessel has an estimated service life that extends at least six years after delivery Saab serves the global market of governments authorities and corporations with products services and solutions ranging from military defence to civil security Swedish Navy’s Gävle-class corvette HMS Gävle was handed over to the navy’s 4th Flotilla last week after undergoing a mid-life upgrade conducted by defence company Saab the upgrade includes several new systems that are expected to strengthen the navy’s capability in combat under water The modernisation has been carried out at Saab’s shipyard in Karlskrona and is the largest change the ship has gone through during its lifetime its sister-ship HMS Sundsvall is going through the same modifications and will be delivered this year Some of the changes to the ships are a completely new sensor park with better reconnaissance radar and fire control new systems for combat command and navigation  but more or less all the systems on the inside are new” Project Manager for the Mid-Life Upgrade of HMS Gävle at FMV “The Flotilla welcomes HMS Gävle and her crew back to service The ship and crew and will play an important part in the Navy’s active defence” HMS Gävle was taken out of service in 2012 for mid-life upgrade Due to the navy’s financial situation Saab received a $147.6 million contract for the modification and modernisation of two Swedish Navy’s Gävle-class corvettes in 2017 the firm will also conduct a general inspection after the vessels have been in service with the Swedish Navy for period of 72 months the vessels are now familiar as belonging to the Gävle-class following an upgrade programme at the end of the 1990s “When emergency services reached the scene the straw structure had already been completely destroyed.” such an act of arson might come as a shock The giant straw goat has been built every year since 1966 I spoke today to Eje Berglund — the spokesman and chairman of the committee that oversees the Gävle Goat — whose English is a lot better than my Swedish I’m very interested in this Gävle Goat [I’m saying this like “gavel,” the thing a judge uses]  — am I pronouncing that correctly?Gävlebocken [he says this like yeah-vleh-boken]* Because we don’t have Christmas goats here in America.Actually the Christmas goat is a very old tradition in Sweden This goat was built for the first time in the sixties or the seventies we try to set him up every year on what we call First Advent And we put him in there and have a big celebration with fireworks and so on Why do people want to burn down the Gävle Goat?Some people think it’s a tradition to burn it down I think it’s more because of betting and playing money Some guys have been drunk — they leave the restaurant in the night So the meaning is not to burn it down; the meaning is to have it over Christmas and New Year and then take it down and have it for next year Half of the years that we have had the goat [and the other half] we have taken it down as a whole goat and can save it for next year What’s the fastest that it’s ever been burned down I think it was eight years ago it was burned down the night before the celebration It was built on a Friday and burned down on Saturday night we had a second one so that we could start the celebration one week after Gävle Goat Set Ablaze, Again! from artifacting on Vimeo. Do you ever catch the people that burn it down?We have done it three times. Once there was an American artist; he was drunk, and he was here and visiting his friend in Gävle, and he tried it. He was meant to pay money for it, but he went back to the USA, and we couldn’t get any money from him. Twice there has been young men; they had no money to pay, and I don’t know what has happened to them. But during the last years, we haven’t been able to catch anyone. Who do you think is doing it? Is it mostly teenagers, kids?I don’t know, actually. How do the people in town feel about it when the goat burns down? Are they all sad about it, or do some people enjoy it?Most people are very sad about it. I think I have spoken to several hundred today, and everyone is sad about it. They can’t understand why the goat can’t be left alone. Well, it’s become almost a tradition in itself at this point.It’s a bad tradition to burn him down, but the tradition is to put him up, and we are working for that. But unfortunately it won’t be standing every year. My condolences on your goat. I hope you have good luck next year.Thank you for that. Happy New Year. * I originally heard this as yeah-bleh-boken. Things you buy through our links may earn Vox Media a commission. Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: As part of your account, you’ll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime. and a man in the straw goat mask is about to take us from holly jolly to heebie-jeebies We just rolled onto the lakeside grounds of the sprawling 17th-century Nääs Slott Mansion, now a living museum, in search of Santa. It’s our first Christmas in Sweden and our family is embarking on a scavenger hunt that promises to lead our six-year-old to a photo-op with the big man we spot our first Christmas character… and are instantly seized with dread a humanoid shape emerges from a dense mist Its face is obscured by an elongated straw mask crowned with braided horns As we cautiously approach the entrance to the isolated historic site she soon notices our nervous daughter (and our nervous selves) and cheerily introduces the shadowy figure perched up the walkway as the Julbock but when we mention we’re here to meet Santa The entire country slows down and nestles into a blanket of good vibes many Swedes feast on a melange of baked ham As foreigners, we knew full well not to bristle at our host country’s time-honored customs, and once we got into it, most left us whimsically curious and teeming with cheer. But the Julbock? That goat was giving us all seriously creepy Krampus vibes Yet as soon as we spotted him on that misty evening at Nääs Slott, we realized the Julbock had been hiding in plain sight everywhere we looked that holiday season—just not always in the form of the scary, True Detective-looking beast we’d encountered depicted as a four-legged straw effigy wrapped with a cute lil’ red ribbon proudly graced nearly every windowsill in town from November on evergreen-hued goats through traditional weaving methods and the ubiquitous souvenir shops in Gothenburg and Malmö were packed floor-to-ceiling with them red-nosed mammals we imagine vaulting across US skies specifically to two goats named Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr—which translates to Tooth-Gnasher and Tooth-Grinder if you’re looking for a good name for your speed-metal quartet Marvel fans will be quick to note that these legendary characters made a memorable cameo in Thor: Love & Thunder but they’ve actually been around for millennia They were the beings that purportedly pulled Thor’s chariot across the sky yet they weren’t always rewarded for their feats of strength both goats were regularly slaughtered and consumed by Thor who would later bring them back to life whenever he needed a lift in an endless cycle of death and resurrection It’s worth noting that Norse Thor was a rotund, red-bearded warlord rather than a charming Australian beefcake played by Chris Hemsworth merging into a singular being whose likeness varied drastically over the ensuing centuries the Julbock has been interpreted as a mischievous scamp who roams around scaring unsuspecting Christians as well as a benevolent gift-bearer akin to Santa But as Christianity gradually shoved paganism out of the global spotlight And it doesn’t take a PhD in Mythological Studies to draw a direct line from the Norse death-bringer of yore soaring on a goat-drawn chariot to today’s famously jolly jetsetter on his reindeer-powered sleigh stands tall as the current keeper of the creature’s legacy communities throughout Sweden erect large-scale Julbock sculptures in their municipal squares the same as they do with Midsommar poles when springtime rolls around erecting a towering 43-foot version of the statue annually Baltic Sea-inspired aesthetic—the place is a fantasia of crimson boathouses and verdant patches of green—the gigantic manmade goat has become a huge tourist attraction chances are good that same crowd will see the poor monument engulfed in flames have made it their mission to torch the city’s mascot at least 35 times since the tradition began with the goat also falling victim to vehicular assault and other violence in the off years Sometimes the goat-slayers are caught and prosecuted slipping off unpunished while embers rain down upon the town square and generations of security guards presumably lose their posts the Gävle Goat is doomed to an endless cycle of slaughter and resurrection—just like its mythological predecessors Yet upon learning about the Gävle Goat’s cruel Groundhog Day-like fate at the hands of the generally non-confrontational Swedish people I couldn’t help but think of the symbolic animal’s prior role as a holiday mischief-maker tooth-gnashing spirit of the pagan days never left Perhaps the more sinister Julbock has grown tired of being reincarnated as an inoffensive keepsake the red ribbon-wearing centerpiece placed on every Swedish dinner table each December Maybe it longs to return to its roots as a hell-raising Norse demigod tearing through the sky and raining chaos on an unsuspecting populace Or maybe it just wants to see the world burn—and if not the world at least Gävle’s family-friendly spin on its dark and twisted history Infrastructure investor Infranode has announced the development of a new greenfield container terminal in the Port of Gävle Infranode also became a minority shareholder in the port operator YILPORT Sweden Terminal Investment (YST) and a partner and co-owner of YILPORT Holding’s operations in Gävle and the Stockholm Nord intermodal terminal The proceeds will be used to expand a new container terminal in Gävle to meet the demand growth for container transports Infranode CEO and founding partner Christian Doglia said: “Our investors such as EIB and Swedish pension and insurance companies are delighted to be part of the development and supporting such a strategically important transport hub “Infranode enters into a long-term partnership with both the port authority and YILPORT Holding which is an established operator of ports globally with extensive experience and a strong local organisation.” which has experienced growth for an extended period of time is approaching 300,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis The container terminal is expected to be completed next year and is currently in the process of doubling in size to address the increasing demand for container transport Port of Gävle will be able to handle port calls from larger vessels with a volume of up to 600,000 TEU a year YST will hold a concession agreement with a municipality-owned port authority to operate and develop the port until 2046 with a ten-year extension option EIB vice-president Alexander Stubb said: “Many of Sweden’s infrastructure projects are relatively small making it challenging for the European Investment Bank (EIB) to directly support them “That’s why we are very pleased about Infranode’s investment decision to support the upgrade of the strategically important Port of Gävle.” Nominations are now open for the prestigious Ship Technology Excellence Awards - one of the industry's most recognised programmes celebrating innovation This is your chance to showcase your achievements Don't miss the opportunity to be honoured among the best - submit your nomination today Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Each year, a towering Yule Goat is constructed for the holidays in Gävle the Gävle Goat — or Gävlebocken as it is called in Sweden — doesn’t make it to Christmas although arson isn’t its only misfortune.  Here’s a timeline of the rise and fall of the Gävle Goat by Atlas Obscura’s graphic designer Michelle Enemark (scroll right to follow the destruction): So what will be the fate of the Gävle Goat in 2013? We’re keeping a close eye on its live web cam, as well as its Twitter and Instagram Godspeed giant and incredibly flammable Christmas goat UPDATE: The Gävle Goat burned on December 20 this year Here’s a screenshot just after the flames Click here to read more about the Gävle Goat The delivery of second Gävle-class corvette Saab has successfully completed the mid-life upgrade and modernisation of the Swedish Navy’s Gävle-class corvette The corvette was handed over to the Swedish Navy’s Fourth Naval Warfare Flotilla based at the Berga Naval Base in Sweden on 4 May The Fourth Naval Warfare Flotilla operates two Gävle-class corvettes HMS Gävle and HMS Sundsvall Swedish Navy 4th Flotilla chief Jon Wikingsson said: “The Flotilla welcomes HMS Gävle and her crew back to service “The ship will now be able to contribute to the navy’s ongoing maritime surveillance tasks The ship and crew and will play an important part in the Navy’s active defence.” The upgrade programme involved installation of several new systems to enhance and strengthen the Swedish Navy’s maritime combat capabilities under water and other fields Work under the contract to upgrade the corvette was performed at Saab’s shipyard in Karlskrona Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) HMS Gävle mid-life upgrade project manager Johan Edelsvärd said: “It is a do over and modernisation of everything on board: She will have the same hull but more or less all the systems on the inside are new.” In 2017, Saab received a contract from FMV to modify and upgrade two corvettes the Swedish Navy initially had four Gothenburg-class corvettes in service Once the modernisation works on the remaining two corvettes are complete the vessels will operate as the Gävle-class corvettes The second corvette HMS Sundsvall is currently receiving the same modifications and upgrades at the company’s shipyard Delivery of Sundsvall is expected later this year View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network. nothing says “Christmas” like the sight of a four-ton straw goat overlooking the town square Too bad some jerk usually comes along and lights it on fire a new model is built from hay (almost) every year in a tradition that ranks among the country’s most famous Unfortunately—as the good people of Gävle know all too well—no goat is hooligan-proof it only took until December 12th for that year's specimen to be burned to a crisp Fed up with these malicious acts of violence against fake livestock, in 2013 officials announced that the straw used in that year's incarnation had been treated with fire-proof liquids who could be killed and devoured before coming back to life the following morning This may have inspired the subsequent mid-winter Norwegian custom of Julebukking (“yule-goating”) which involved going door to door dressed like goats while singing carols in pursuit of snacks and alcohol Modern children have since revived this pre-Christian practice © 2025 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved Mental Floss may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.",{"type":"6m","value":"ge"},"AR_1",{"type":"6m","value":"gg"},"This article contains affiliate links to products selected by our editors as well as products provided to Mental Floss for review purposes d) {\n h = h[d] = h[d] || {\n q: [],\n onReady: function(c){ h.q.push(c) },\n };\n d = o.createElement(u);\n d.async = 1;\n d.src = n;\n n = o.getElementsByTagName(u)[0];\n n.parentNode.insertBefore(d \"https://www.datadoghq-browser-agent.com/us1/v5/datadog-rum.js\" Initialize Datadog RUM and then measure TTFB/FCP\n window.DD_RUM.onReady(function() {\n // 3a Initialize RUM\n window.DD_RUM.init({\n applicationId: 'f3f16add-4ebf-4aad-9bb4-adb13da4d17e',\n clientToken: 'pub53fad8ec1eea29e2f92980d95072da2f',\n site: \"datadoghq.com\",\n service: \"voltax-sites-www.mentalfloss.com\",\n env: \"prod\",\n sessionSampleRate: 100,\n sessionReplaySampleRate: 0,\n trackUserInteractions: true,\n trackResources: true,\n trackLongTasks: true,\n defaultPrivacyLevel: \"mask-user-input\",\n });\n\n // 3b Measure TTFB & FCP once the page fully loads\n window.addEventListener('load' {\n ttfb: ttfb,\n fcp: fcp,\n });\n\n // Optional: log them to console for debugging\n console.log('[Datadog RUM] TTFB:' \nBut petty arson is hardly the worst fate that can befall a Gävle goat. Other grisly demises include getting kicked to pieces and being hit by a car. In 2010, a pair of schemers planned to kidnap the goat and transport it to Stockholm via helicopter only to have the guard on duty reject their bribe of 50,000 kronor (about $7350) Fed up with these malicious acts of violence against fake livestock, in 2013 officials announced that the straw used in that year's incarnation had been treated with fire-proof liquids This may have inspired the subsequent mid-winter Norwegian custom of Julebukking (“yule-goating”) Saab has signed a new Skr1.249bn ($147.66m) contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for the modification and modernisation of the Swedish Navy's Gävle-class corvettes Image: The corvette HMS Gävle of the Swedish Navy in Visby harbour View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Sweden's Gävle Goat has been an annual holiday tradition since 1966 but the massive straw structure doesn't always survive until Christmas "The Gävle Goat lives a dangerous life," says Maria Wallberg "But we are full of hope that he will survive this year." Wallberg is on the committee that oversees the construction of Gävlebocken 3-ton straw goat built every year in Gävle Gävle has about a 50/50 chance of being burned to the ground That's because destroying the Gävle Goat has become nearly as regular a tradition as constructing it in the first place townspeople cautiously wait to see if an arsonist will prevail "If the first goat never had burned down you never know what [could have] happened the next years," Wallberg says the town spends approximately 1,000 person-hours constructing the goat from ropes It's built to coincide with the Christian holiday Advent and it's taken down on New Year's Day (if it survives that long.) "Yule Goats" are a common motif in Scandanavian Christmas traditions and the straw goat in Gävle is meant to be a large embodiment of that Christmas character Exactly why goats are so strongly associated with the winter holiday is debated but it's rooted in pagan celebrations only 25 Gävle Goats have lived to see the new year on the 50th anniversary of the Gävle Goat coming to the town it was on fire within 24 hours of being constructed Josefin Nordvall owns a lingerie shop in Gävle only a few hundred feet away from the goat's "pen." She sees it every morning on her way to open her store and says it inspires a special Christmas spirit Nordvall had been at a friend's house nearby when she decided to drive by her store to double check that everything was in order the 40-foot structure creates a fiery scene By the time the fire burned through all the straw "It's not fair," says Nordvall of the goat-burning tradition It's a sad feeling around the town." The culprit behind charred straw goats varies year by year "There's no stereotypical goat burner," says Owe Rosén a Gävle resident who plays Christmas carols in the square "The goat has been an easy target for drunk people walking home at night after visiting a pub." "One year it was someone dressed as Santa and a gingerbread man." Rosén says a number of more extreme theories have arisen as the burning tradition becomes more well known "Among the municipality’s inhabitants there are rumors of a secret goat burning association which supposedly plans to burn the Christmas goat every year," he said "Sometimes I think it’s planned and sometimes [I think] it’s someone going home drunk in the night and gets the idea of burning down the goat," said Wallberg For now, the Gävle Goat is still standing, but Wallberg says if it's burned again, they'll continue the tradition in 2018, adding, "We will never stop to build our world-famous Christmas symbol." the Swedish city of Gävle celebrates the Christmas season by building a giant straw goat that pretty much begs to be lit on fire We here at Atlas Obscura often enjoy placing friendly bets on when or if the goat will burn each year but this year we won’t even get the chance because the Gävle Goat has already burned Since 1966, a giant goat has been built in Slottstorget square, an oversize version of the traditional Swedish yule goat, and in more years than not, it has been destroyed by vandals The very first Gävle Goat was destroyed on New Year’s Eve in 1966 burning the goat has taken on a mischievous sense of tradition the damage is usually contained to the goat itself The goat is traditionally constructed in late November or early December it’s just a waiting game to see when vandals will strike Various protections have been put in place and tried out over the years including adding a perimeter fence covering the goat in coating of flame retardant and having the goat personally guarded by volunteers But no matter how the city tries to preserve the goat it usually manages to get set on fire the perpetrators of the crime managed to evade detection from any of the cameras set up around the goat getting up close to it while one of the guards was in the bathroom The Gävle Goat cost the city $249,900 to build There are no official plans to rebuild the goat this year so we’ll all just have to wait until next year and hope that our favorite Christmas goat lasts a little longer The scope of work includes the integration of Saab's 9LV Mk 4 combat management system (CMS); a new Wärtsilä navigation suite and new propulsion controls; and upgraded air including Saab's Sea Giraffe AMB surveillance radar and Kongsberg's ST400 active variable depth sonar The work also includes refurbishment of the hull and machinery The modernisation of the Gävle-class corvettes was one of several measures introduced in Sweden's Defence Policy 2016 to 2020 to help strengthen the navy's anti-submarine warfare capabilities The RSwN originally had a class of four Göteborg/Gävle‐class corvettes Two were removed from service in 2004 and 2006 Gain unlimited access to Janes news and more.. Delivering trusted intelligence to warfighters to protect national interests Providing mission users with faster access to quality data to pre-empt threats and protect national security Assured interconnected OSINT to deliver informed Solutions Insights About Contact Request a demo Customer Login Store Receive the latest developments in defence and security as well as keep informed on Janes news and events Janes Intelligence SummaryA fortnightly update featuring the latest analysis Join the news democracyWhere your votes decide the Top 100 Reasons for you to sign up to our newsletter here T’is the season to be jolly or whatever, but for one city in Sweden, it may well be the season where someone risks a criminal record to burn down a giant straw goat a cute straw goat – known as the Gävle goat or Gävlebocken in Swedish – is erected in Castle Square as part of the area’s Christmas celebrations This year’s ‘inauguration’ takes place on Sunday It all sounds innocent enough, and that alone wouldn’t be enough for us to report on, but since it became a tradition in 1966 the goat has only survived the festive season on 18 occasions For all the other years the goat has been assembled in Gävle it’s been burnt down by members of the public who know straw is particularly flammable And before we get a letter in the post from some angry Swedish lawyers we should probably mention that for those who build the goat every year burning it down is something which they really do not want Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter even when they faced growing challenges from people who very much did not want their goat turned to ash – who can blame them A year later, two drunk adolescents burned it down. When local tradesmen weren’t so keen on their hard work being destroyed in 1971, the Natural Science Society of Vasaskolan took over goat-building duties, according to VisitGävle.se Some years the fate of the goat was unexplained the goat didn’t burn down in 1976 – it was hit by a car instead Two years people got a little ahead of themselves burning down the goat in 1979 and 1989 ahead of it being assembled in Gävle The goat even made the Guinness Book of Records in 1985 when it was 12.5 metres tall Gävlebocken received a bit of an upgrade in 1987 when he was heavily fireproofed by the city things got worse: you could actually place a bet in Britain as to whether you thought the goat would survive or not – that year a commercial sleigh was illegally constructed next to the goat it didn’t detract from the fact that someone still managed to successfully set the goat alight that year it wasn’t even the fault of humans that the goat was destroyed the burning went international when a 51-year-old American tourist – thinking it was perfectly legal to burn down a giant straw structure of a goat – succeeded He was convicted and spent 18 days in jail Things got silly four years later, when arsonists reportedly dressed as Santa Claus and a gingerbread man fired a flaming arrow at the goat further protective measures were introduced 2009 saw webcams put in place to spot any suspected vandals attempting to do something they shouldn’t be doing The authorities didn’t plan for a denial of service attack The goat survived in 2010, but reports surfaced of two men attempting to bribe someone guarding the goat to allow them to steal it by helicopter Gävlesboken was covered in a layer of protected ice only for that to melt and for the goat to be burned down The goat then survived four years on the trot including the first year of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 While the world awaits the next inauguration on Sunday afternoon (2pm UK time), we'll just have to see how long this year's goat will last. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings. by James Vincent FacebookThreadsThe Gävle Goat before and after its most recent arson attack this year. Photo by MATS ASTRAND,PERNILLA WAHLMAN/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty ImagesJames Vincent is a senior reporter who has covered AI and more for eight years at The Verge.If you’ve never heard of the Gävle Goat before there are just two critical pieces of information you need to know First: the Gävle Goat is a giant straw statue of a goat erected every Christmas in the Swedish town of Gävle It’s essentially a massive Yule Goat a traditional symbol of the Yuletide season in areas of Scandinavia and Northern Europe and was first installed in the town in 1966 The most recent incarnation stands 42 feet high and weighs 3.6 tonnes As the BBC reported this morning: “A giant straw goat that has become an annual highlight in the Swedish city of Gavle has been burned by an arsonist A man in his 40s was arrested after the structure was set alight in the early hours of Friday The goat has been attacked many times before but survived every festive period since 2016 under 24-hour security.” but what the arson represents: the eternal battle between goat-erectors and goat-burners; between the forces of cozy commercialization primeval urge to set something huge on fire because the sun has disappeared and who knows when it’s coming back This timeless struggle between humanity and nature plays out beautifully on the Wikipedia page for the Gävle Goat which records the beast’s fate every year as well as preventative measures taken by the authorities and the manner of its demise the goat has been “stolen,” “hit by a car,” and “kicked to pieces,” but the most popular method of dispatch is undoubtedly arson and even a passing American have all been blamed for attacks over the years but it’s curious to me how ill-prepared these culprits often seem It’s as if they hadn’t actually planned the attacks but were simply compelled in the moment by forces beyond their reckoning Consider, for example, in 2015, when a 26-year-old was arrested for torching the goat and fined 100,000 kronor ($10,989) in damages. The man was seen fleeing the scene right after the statue went up in flames and, when detained by a guard, was quickly identified as the guilty party because he had “a singed face and was holding a lighter in his hand.” This sounds less like a hardened criminal and more like a man possessed by the spirit of his pagan ancestors to restart the fires of the world — to bring warmth and light back into the universe — one goat at a time I know that burning down a statue is no fun at all for the people whose job it is to fund and protect it was devastated by this year’s attack She told BBC News: “It’s just a week before Christmas and I cannot understand how a person can carry out this kind of attack to a Christmas symbol known all over the world.” Well, this year, they got him. The fire-worshippers won, and the goat-erectors will have to console themselves with the international publicity they attracted. But we shouldn’t mourn the Gävle Goat any more than we mourn barren trees and empty fields. For if winter teaches us anything, it’s that life is cyclical, that good times follow bad, and that although the sun has disappeared and things look bleak, if we keep warm and dry, things will get better in due course. Yes, the goat has gone, but it’s only a matter of time before it comes back — and only a matter of time before someone tries to burn it down again. A weekly newsletter by David Pierce designed to tell you everything you need to download, watch, read, listen to, and explore that fits in The Verge’s universe. Yilport Holding has announced a new connection for its Germany and Baltic Sea (SMX-2) service The service now links the Baltic ports of Klaipeda and Gdynia with the port of Gävle the new route is offering new connections to the German ports of Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven as well as the Finnish port Rauma Yilport Holding’s container terminals handled 3.4 million TEU in the first half of 2022, a massive 36 per cent growth on 2021 figures The 3,412,604 TEU handled globally is as a result of new services such as those in Turkey where Yilport Gebze and Gemlik terminals welcomed new calls from MEDKON Lines Semcon will be conducting a new feasibility study for Yilport to investigate how transport flows in the Port of Gävle can be made more efficient Huge quantities of goods are transported to and from the port every day The logistics process that will initially be investigated is the transport of containers by truck from container warehouses to the docks where they are then lifted by crane onto ships needs and challenges in order to understand the process in depth concept solution and business case will then be delivered to Yilport.  they are ideal environments for automated solutions.  “We have been commissioned to map and analyse the benefits and values autonomous solutions could provide to Yilport for a specific logistics process,” said David Darwall Global Business Manager Applied Autonomy at Semcon.  “The feasibility study will focus on a single process but the vision is to build a fully autonomous logistics production solution for Yilport Autonomous solutions not only optimise operational costs – they also contribute to improved safety Semcon is calling on its partnership with Yeti Move which is providing a platform for controlling and monitoring autonomous operations Yeti Move is a software provider and is jointly owned by Semcon Yilport is responsible for the operation of 22 ports across the globe that use the same process for moving containers which means that there are substantial financial benefits to be gained by finding a solution that can be applied to all their production worldwide it’s important to always be at the forefront of technological advances so that we can offer our customers effective solutions and in Semcon we have found a partner we truly believe in but no one has really come up with a solution to get it to work in conjunction with other traffic and in this Semcon is at the cutting edge.” The Gävle Goat is a giant straw Yule Goat constructed each year in Gävle it’s also become an annual tradition for hooligans to torch the festive animal Despite local officials’ confidence that it would survive last year, the Gävlebocken as he’s known burned on December 21. This year there’s reportedly bigger security but with everything from helicopter theft attempts to a Gingerbread Man pyromaniac in the past we wouldn’t necessarily bet against some holiday flames.  The Gävle Goat in 2009 (photograph by Tony Nordin) Will this be a year the Gävle Goat survives the flames Since 1966 when the first giant Yule Goat went up in Gävle the goat — known as the Gävlebocken — has been burned 26 times This year, however, the local officials are feeling positive the goat is flameproof. As the Local reported: “Gävle confident its 2013 Xmas goat won’t burn,” and a Gävle spokesman had this to proclaim:  “We’ve made it from material that’s a little stronger this year But we’re aware that the goat is only famous because it gets burned It would be great if it didn’t actually burn down this year because that would be the most unexpected result Then we might really get a lot of attention.” The goat burns in 2011 (via the goat’s webcam) the mammoth straw goat does have the odds against it having only escaped destruction a handful of times in its history Each year the 40-foot-tall goat it is constructed in the town’s central square and has a grand celebration for its unveiling on November 30 Last year it only survived until December 12 and in the past it’s been hit by cars People now annually place bets on its lifespan.  The Yule Goat (via Wikimedia) The Gävle Goat in 2005 (photograph by Johan Karlborg) You can follow the Gävlebocken on Twitter, who tweets in both Swedish and English, and new for this year is Instagram a strong show in confidence that there won’t be a play-by-play social media eulogy of the goat’s demise Here’s a brief history of the rise and fall of the Gävle Goat: 1966 - The first goat appears in Gävle It is burned at midnight on New Year’s Eve 1969 - The Goat again sees Christmas and is torched on New Year’s Eve.  1970 - The Goat only survives six hours before it is burned 1972 - The Goat is sabotaged and collapses 1976 - Someone hits the Goat with their Volvo and it collapses 1978 - The Goat is attacked and kicked to bits 1979 - The Goat is burned before it is completed and another one is built that is made fireproof The goat in snow (photograph by mrpants/Flickr user) 1985 - The Goat is protected by a six-foot-high metal fence and guarded by soldiers 1986 - The Goat burns the day before Christmas Eve 1989 - The Goat is burned before it is finished 1991 - The Goat is burned on Christmas Eve 1992 - The Goat is burned only eight days after its construction 1995 - Someone is arrested while trying to burn it it is still burned down on Christmas.  1999 - The Goat survives only two hours before burning 2000 - The Goat is burned just after New Year’s 2001 - An American tourist sets the Goat on fire thinking it was a legal tradition He was fined $14,700 (which he never paid) and spent a month in jail 2004 - Hackers attack the Goat’s website and add the text “Brinn Bockjävel” (“burn the fucking goat”) to one of the live web cam feeds 2005 - The Goat is burned on December 3 by two people one disguised as Father Christmas and the other as a Gingerbread Man who attack it with flaming arrows The attack is followed by a string of Yule Goat arsons around Sweden The goat in 2006 (photograph by Casey Bisson) 2009 - The Goat is burned on December 23 2010 - Two people attempt to steal the Goat with a helicopter.  2011 - The Goat is drenched in water with the theory that it would freeze and make it harder to burn. Unfortunately, the warmer weather causes this to not work, and the Goat is burned in early December The goat burns in 2012 (via the goat’s webcam) 2012 - The Goat goes up in flames on December 12. Its arsonists are revealed when they post photographs of matching goat tattoos online showing the Gävlebocken in flames with the date of its demise GAVLE GOAT, Gävle There are only two logical responses to the Gävle Goat phenomenon, (a) start an office betting pool based on how long it will take to get torched this year and, (b) spread this inspiring tradition far and wide. In this spirit, Iceland now has its own giant called the Jólageit or “Christmas Goat,” which makes its home outside of an IKEA in Garðabær The Jólageit has arisen annually since 2008 and, as the Reykjavik Grapevine reports has proven no hardier than its Swedish cousin it self-immolated when the Christmas lights embedded in its straw shorted out The real Gävle Goat doesn’t go up until November 27th—so if any holiday arsonists out there feel in need of a trial run Every day, we track down a fleeting wonder—something amazing that’s only happening right now. Have a tip for us? Tell us about it! Send your temporary miracles to cara@atlasobscura.com Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders.