christmas

Gavle Goat Burns Again

Gävle Goat Burns Again

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Gävle’s famous Christmas goat just celebrated it’s 50th anniversary.  Sadly, overnight, it was burned down by arsonists over night.  Watch the reaction of a Swedish news program as they report the breaking news (in Swedish! Time to practice your Swedish!)

This isn’t the first time either! Of the 50 years the Gävle goat has been built, it has burned down 35 times.  It seems arsonists just can’t help to set fire to a giant goat made of straw.

Check out the fun festival that Gävle had in order to celebrate the Christmas goat.

They are discussing the option of building the goat again, at least until Lucia. There are costs involved in that though, and there are always risks that the arsonists will try to burn the goat down again.

What do you think? Should Gävle build the goat or let it rest in peace?

winter-sun-set

My Gothenburg Christmas Delight

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From what I had heard and read, Sweden is a country of innovation. Just take Ikea for example. A furniture business that not only sells their wares disassembled for convenience, production value and price point but excites people to master the skill of carpentry with little more than a pack of screws and a pictorial … Read more

Sergels Torg

Julskyltning – a Swedish Christmas tradition

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“Julskyltning” or “skyltsöndag” as it is usually called is a tradition in Sweden since mid-late 19th century. In the middle of the 19th-century the shops started make special preparations before Christmas by decorating their display windows. It took a few years and in the late 19th-century it made a breakthrough as a happening before Christmas. … Read more

pepparkakor

How Pepparkakor Makes My Christmas Swedish

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I grew up the daughter of a Swedish immigrant to the US and for us, Christmas – jul – was the most important celebration of the year. In the days before email and Facebook and Google hangouts, when Sweden was so very far away that my mom called home only once a year, on julafton … Read more

A little Swedish in our Christmas

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Last year I experienced my first full blown Swedish Christmas. This year we decided to take a trip across the pond to visit my family in Montana. I didn’t want my Swede to feel homesick, so we brought some things to make it a Swedish Christmas as well. First off, I wanted to bring something … Read more

Skellefteå’s Christmas Market

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Snow? Check. Panicked shoppers? Check. Christmas cheese? Check! With Christmas only 6 days away, there is a buzz in the air. Over the weekend a friend and I decided to check out some of this buzz by stopping by Skellefteå’s Christmas market. Now I’ve been to my share of Christmas markets. Prague loves to have … Read more

First Swedish Christmas in Norrland

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Yesterday I experienced my very first Christmas in Sweden, and what fun it was! I tried new food, ate waaaaayyyy to many cookies, and opened some awesome presents. The best part of it though was spending time with my Swedish family! Swedish Christmas Breakfast – Rice Porridge I started the morning off with some yummy … Read more