A giant straw goat erected by local businessmen in the town of Gavle was torched — again — in what has become a holiday tradition some would call arson.
A smouldering pile of wood and metal was all that remained on Tuesday of the traditional Swedish good-luck goat that businessmen in Gavle erect annually in conjunction with the start of the Christmas shopping season.
Fewer than a dozen goats have survived the annual arson attempts since businessmen first erected the tribute in 1966.
In recent years, security measures — including camera surveillance and spraying the straw with fire-resistant chemicals — have been introduced, mostly to no avail. — Sapa-DPA