{"id":129,"date":"2008-12-21T14:45:19","date_gmt":"2008-12-21T18:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/?p=129"},"modified":"2018-08-14T14:48:14","modified_gmt":"2018-08-14T14:48:14","slug":"julbocken-and-other-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/julbocken-and-other-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Julbocken and Other News"},"content":{"rendered":"

I received several emails from the readers asking me what I thought about the riots in Malm\u00f6<\/strong>. So, what did I think about the riots? Absolutely nothing. It barely registered on our radars here in Norrland<\/strong>. Much more exciting news is that Lindex<\/strong> is going to open a store in Lycksele<\/strong> next year \u2013 at least I know that Ceci will appreciate it, as she\u2019ll be heading to Lycksele<\/strong> next spring.<\/p>\n

Another important news is that as of December 15, 2008 people from outside the EU can come to Sweden for a limited time and look for a job. Especially needed are medical professionals, engineers, and other highly qualified people. But it\u2019s a catch-22 situation, really. Most new arrivals don\u2019t speak Swedish and to get a job in those highly specialized fields good Swedish skills are essential. Some say it\u2019s really odd that Sweden is opening its job market when the unemployment rates are soaring and companies are going bankrupt.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s return to Lyckselse<\/strong> for a moment. The Lycksele<\/strong> goat was set on fire last Friday.
\nNo worries, it wasn\u2019t a live goat, only a straw one. And it wasn\u2019t as big as the most famous Christmas goat erected every year in G\u00e4vle<\/strong>. Normally, it\u2019s the G\u00e4vle<\/strong> goat that gets torched, but this year its northern cousin has been burned.<\/p>\n

\n G\u00e4vlebocken<\/strong> 2006. Image: Wikipedia.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cA Christmas goat?\u201d I hear you say. Yep. Julbocken<\/strong>. It\u2019s a leftover from the old pagan tradition where the god Thor<\/strong> used to ride in a chariot drawn by two goats, Tanngrisnir<\/strong> and Tanngnj\u00f3str<\/strong>. (I mean, goats? A chariot? And here I thought that Thor<\/strong> was a fierce and important god.)<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s how the tradition of straw goats had originated. Some towns, like G\u00e4vle<\/strong> and Lycksele<\/strong>, construct their own massive straw goats, which is just an invitation for crazy pyromaniacs to set them on fire. But if you want your very own straw goat, you can buy yourself a miniature version. They\u2019re sold almost everywhere before Christmas, from simple ones at julmarknader<\/strong> to more fancy versions at normal shops.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nStraw goats at julmarknad<\/strong> in Ume\u00e5<\/strong> last year.<\/p>\n

So, in Sweden, Christmas means a straw goat and Donald Duck on tv. But we\u2019ll talk about Donald Duck on Christmas eve next time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

I received several emails from the readers asking me what I thought about the riots in Malm\u00f6. So, what did I think about the riots? Absolutely nothing. It barely registered on our radars here in Norrland. Much more exciting news is that Lindex is going to open a store in Lycksele next year \u2013 at…<\/p>\n

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