Gävlebocken

The traditional Gävle goat has fallen forward onto the ground from hard winds.

The winds are hard enough that Gävlebocken fell.

YouTube video by Expressen Här faller Gävlebocken 2025

Didn’t get burned, succumbed to the wind!
@gavlebocken.bsky.social

youtu.be/53dBWu9sqvY?...

Gavlebocken stands proudly before being blown down by a heavy wind storm.

Tyvärr har jag fallit och mött mitt öde - jag beklagar mitt plötsliga avslut. Tack för all värme och kärlek världen över, för era besök och alla fina bilder ni tagit på mig och oss tillsammans. Nu samlar jag kraft för att resa mig inför nästa år. Ta hand om varandra så länge och kom ihåg - I’ll be bock!✨🤍 Gott nytt år mina vänner!🎆 Unfortunately, I have fallen and met my fate - I’m sorry about my abrupt Christmas closure. Thank you for the warmth and love from all over the world, for your visits and all the beautiful pictures you have taken of me and us together. Now I’m gathering strength to rise for next year. Take care of each other and remember - I’ll be bock!✨🤍 Happy New Year my friends!🎆

"Unfortunately, I have fallen and met my fate - I’m sorry about my abrupt Christmas closure..." See more below

Looks like the goat got windsheared!

Merry Christmas from Axmarby, Sweden! 🎅🎄🎉🇸🇪

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and a successful New Year — from Sweden to all of you. ❤️

#MerryChristmas #Christmas #NordicChristmas #HappyHolidays #SeasonGreetings #ChristmasSpirit #GreetingsFromSweden #Sweden

Back in my hometown visiting the legendary Gävle Christmas Goat — nothing says home sweet home like this iconic holiday tradition. ❤️🎅🎄🐐✨

#Gävlebocken @gavlebocken.bsky.social #YuleGoat #HomeSweetHome #HomeTown #Gävle #Sweden #Christmas #ChristmasSpirit #NordicChristmas #WinterMagic

YouTube video by Nordanstigs kommun Invigning av Syndabocken i Nordanstig

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWY5...

🌲🧚‍♂️The Year Walk ('årsgång') was a Swedish ritual, usually practiced on New Year's Eve. The practitioners would venture into a dark forest all alone at night, and face challenges like encounters with supernatural beings. Those who persevered, would see the future. Art by Jana Heiersdorf.🌲🧚‍♂️

Royal Court [of Sweden]:

“In this year’s Christmas Speech, The King urged Swedish people to hold on to hope for the future. The King also highlighted humanity as driving force throughout the country. And that the message of Christmas hope and reconciliation – that darkness never has the last word.”

Two Mashu watch a small Mashu sitting on the back of a Yule goat.

Purple and yellow Mashu hang from ribbons in a Christmas tree like decorations.

Green, blue, and red Mashu dangle from a Christmas tree from ribbons like decorations.

Merry Christmas from the Mashu, who have been having all sorts of festive fun.

Security staged at the fence. Two men stand facing the security guard and Gavlebocken. 3:47am Gavle time .

Security at the fence

Art of Jólaköttur or the Yule cat of Icelandic folklore. It supposedly eats people who did not get new clothes for Christmas. Giant black cat smiling and standing in front of a house with some kids sweater in its mouth.

Merry Christmas and I hope Jólaköttur the Yule cat didn’t visit last night 😆🎄🐈‍⬛

(The Yule cat of Icelandic folklore is supposed to eat people who do not receive new clothing before Christmas Eve)

Gavlenocken stands in the center of fencing.

"God jul vänner, tacksam för er alla ✨

Merry Christmas my friends ✨"

Happy holidays everyone

Winter sprite and Yule goat, gouache on paper

The Yule Goat

Born of Thor’s thunderous beasts, he massive & wanders village to village, testing the cheer of the season. Sometimes he brings gifts, sometimes he demands them. To honor him is to welcome Yule. He is Capricorn the God of Saturn 🪐 the Star ⭐️ a top the Yule Tree. God Jul to him.

Gavlebocken stands proudly in the center of jagged wooden fencing. She is covered in a light dusting of newly fallen snow.

"Dan före dopparedan och ett tunt snötäcke har kommit! ✨❄️

One day until Christmas Eve, and the snow is here! ✨❄️"

👀

she’s still standing

Also met the Jólakötturinn in Reykjavík earlier this month 🙂

The Yule goat rests his gams with a little cider break ❤️🎄 -Thisvis still one of my favorites from my Yule collection 😊
#yule #folklore #yulegoat #illustration

Gavlebocken stands in the center of fencing.

"Jag hoppas på lite snö innan jul! 🌨️ Har snön hittat till er än? ❄️

I’m hoping for some before Christmas! 🌨️ Has the snow made it’s way to you yet? ❄️"

I took this photo in central Uppsala (Sweden).
#city #cityscape #night #nightscape
#sverige #town #townscape #fineartphotography #samsung #landscapephotography

Photo of Gävlebocken, world's largest straw goat, in a cloudy day

Goat! Also got interrail days left so I randomly got onto a train to Falun. I have no idea what's in Falun but let's find out in an hour

I got myself a julbock, and it has finally arrived here from Sweden! Look at this stunner! And yes, this is vintage and handmade.

🎄ขอเปิดตัวภูตผีแห่งฤดูหนาว🎄

Krampus🐐 : ปกติเป็นอ้วนใจดี แต่หากใครเป็นเด็กซนจะเอาไปเป็นต้มยำ

Mari Lywd🐎 : ใจดี ชอบกิน ชอบเที่ยว แต่คนส่วนใหญ่กลัวซะงั้น

Yule Cat🐈‍⬛: ชอบแทะเสื้อผ้าโดยเฉพาะผ้าใหม่ๆ แต่ชอบกินเนื้อคนใส่เสื้อผ้าเก่าๆ มากกว่า


#CreepyCat #IFEXPOWINTER25 #IFEXPOWINTER2025

Photo of 3 “Julehjerter” (literal translation is “Christmas Hearts”) – they’re a traditional thing to make at Christmas in the Nordics (esps. in Denmark). They’re made by two pieces of folded paper, cut to a specific shape and braided together. The paper is the bendable ‘glossy’ kind. These hearts are made from pre-fabricated cutouts – normally I would cut them myself. They blue – some with white starts and some with blue glitter all over.

Photo of 4 hand-folded paper stars. They’re each a different colour (white with silver flicked over it, light blue with golden dots, blue-and-gold-striped, and red with white snow-ish dots). Two of them are folded as ‘ordinary’ 3D stars (the two light blue ones) – the white is folded as half a 3D star (to be placed atop a Christmas present) – and the red is folded flat with no 3D effect at all.

Close-up of the light blue and golden striped 3D star.

All four stars from a different angle.

Right! I promised you more Scandi-Christmas-traditions, so no more lollygagging! 😅🥰

A big Dec-thing in the Nordics is that we make a lot of stuff by hand. Whether it’s nature deco (e.g. countdown candle), folding paper deco, baking cookies, etc.

Like these!

#OFMDadventCalendar #OurFlagMeansDeath

Gavlebocken stands in the center of wooden fencing.

"Tänk att just jag får dela julmagin tillsammans med er! Det finns inget bättre än det ❤️

There’s nothing better than sharing the Christmas magic with you ❤️"

A digital illustration in the form of a multi-color relief print. At center is Gryla, Iceland's Troll Witch who stalks the land around the yule snatching misbehaving children and turning them into stew. She has blue skin, a craggy hag face with horns, fangs, and pointed ears framed by long, white hair in two big braids. She's wearing a traditional-ish looking dress and pinafore type thing under a big overcoat. In one hand she's holding a gnarled walking stick, and the other, reaching out toward the viewer is on the back of her pet Jólakötturinn, the Yule Cat. He's a huge, fluffy, black cat, getting ready to pounce with his mouth open and one massive paw swiping out. His job is to eat children who are found without new clothes before Christmas. The point of focus of these two monsters, is two terrified, screaming children wearing tattered winter clothing in the lower right of frame. The ground all around is covered in snow, and the background inside a rough-cut framing shape is a spooky forest under a night sky with crescent moon, stars, and swirls of howling wind. Part of the top of the frame widens out into a red banner reading 'Gryla & Jólakötturinn'. Now get out there and try not to get eaten.

Now is the time of Yule and Monsters

The Jólakötturinn, or the Yule Cat is a monstrously large creature from Icelandic folklore that is said to roam the snowy countryside during Christmas, with a particular appetite for anyone who has not received new clothes before Christmas Eve or who did not wear them.

A Yule Lad with a white beard and a red hat with a stack of pots in his arms. Illustration by Brian Pilkington.

Tonight Pottaskefill (Pot Licker), the 5th of Icelands 13 Yule Lads, will come down from the mountains. He likes to sneak into houses and lick the used pots clean.

Children leave their shoes out in the window, he gives the good ones a small gift, the bad ones get a potato.