It's the SCLU (Sweden's ACLU), I tell you.
Sven Clintoon was quoted as saying.."Ah remember as a child all the Goat burnings..."
Reminds me of the Burning Man ritual at the Left Coast.
the goats have just not been accepted nor tolerated by Swedish society. It's not racial, it's not religious, it's non-acceptance and for that, all goats must burn.
Perhaps if they built a large wooden badger . . .
That wasn't Father Christmas, it was Thor, and he was blind drunk and hungry and thought the goat was one of his, either Tanngniost (Tooth Gnasher) or Tanngrisnir (Tooth Grinder). He just wanted a goat bbq. 8^)
Ever hear of a scape goat? The town passes all its evil demons and sins to the goat then kills it. In Iceland, (if I recall correctly,) they put cats in a sack and beat them.
The movie "The Wicker Man" comes to mind...
One thing you have to say about the British, even sometimes the one's who all too often have a nasty left disposition to them, is that they have a very subtle and slow-boiling but wicked sense of humor:
1966: The first goat is burned down - beginning the tradition
1970: It is set on fire six hours after being erected
1971: Tired of arson, the project is abandoned. Schoolchildren build a miniature. It is smashed to pieces.
1976: A car crashes into the goat
1979: The goat is burned down before it is finished
1987: The goat is treated with fire-proofing - but still goes up in smoke.
Being of Swedish descent, I actually have a small goat (julbock) that I put out each Christmas. Before Santa came to Sweden, a goat played the main role in Christmas celebrations. In the 18th century a grown-up, wearing a goat mask, handed out the presents on Christmas Eve.