Sweden’s traditional Christmas animals have horns, but they are not reindeer

Have you heard of the Yule Goat?

Santa Claus has his famous reindeer that pull him across the night Christmas sky in a flash so he can deliver the presents to all the good boys and girls. Given that these animals originate from the northern latitudes, it would be normal to assume that it was Scandinavians who added them to the common symbolic treasure that is now Christmas. But surprisingly, Sweden’s traditional Christmas animal has always been the goat, so much so that it even precedes Christmas itself.

Norse mythology tells that the almighty god Thor rode across the sky in a chariot drawn by two goats Toothache, or “tooth grinder” in Old Norse, and Toothpicks or “tooth carrier”. It’s starting to remind us a lot of someone else, right?

Or is it harvesting tradition?

Others have suggested that goat worship in Sweden comes from ancient farming methods when the last sheaf of grain was saved as a bundle (which looked like a goat) for the Christmas midwinter celebration.

The role of the Santa Claus has changed over time. In Scandinavia, in the 18th century, young men in horned costumes walked between the houses and sang songs and made jokes. The group of Christmas characters often includes the Christmas goat, a rowdy, sometimes scary, creature. The men actually demanded gifts from the households, seemingly as a way to calm the evil spirits.

But then things changed at some point, as they usually do, and the Christmas goat became a gift giver rather than a gift recipient. And as such, it began to go with Santa Claus in his duties.

A popular Christmas joke was to make a Christmas goat out of straw or wood and then place it in a neighbor’s house without them noticing. The family that became a prankster then had to get rid of it in the same way.

In modern Scandinavia, the Christmas goat has become a popular Christmas ornament and decoration. These modern goats are usually made of straw and tied with a red ribbon. It is also a tradition to place them in the main squares of some cities, where things sometimes get even more bizarre.

But this is a story we will tell in our next article!