Christmas symbol torched in Swedish city

Stockholm: A giant straw goat was burned down yet again early Wednesday in a Swedish city where torching it has become a Christmas tradition, much to the dismay of local leaders.

Gavle city spokeswoman Anna Ostman said someone set fire to the 13-metre-high creature around 3am local time.

Only a charred wooden skeleton of the traditional Swedish Christmas symbol remained Wednesday morning.

"It feels very sad," Ostman said. "We had really hoped that he would survive Christmas and New Year's."

Vandals have burned down the goat 24 times since it was first set up in Gavle in 1966 to mark the holiday season. It has also been smashed several times, run over by a car and had its legs cut off.

In 2006 and 2007 city officials doused it in fireproofing chemicals. Ostman said they stopped doing that because it discoloured the goat, making it "look like a brown terrier instead of a yellow straw goat."

The goat is a centuries-old Scandinavian yule symbol that preceded Santa Claus as the bringer of gifts to Swedish homes. Many Swedes place a small straw goat underneath their Christmas trees, or hang miniature versions on the branches.

International attention

While city officials are always quick to condemn the vandals who set the goats ablaze, they have also become increasingly aware of the international attention the near-yearly attacks draw to Gavle, about 150 kilometres north of Stockholm.

This year, the city website offers users a chance to follow the goat's fate via a webcam, Twitter page and a blog — in both Swedish and English.