The traditional straw goat displayed in Sweden during the Christmas and New Year season is the Gävle Goat.
The Gävle Goat is a giant version of the Scandinavian Yule goat, or julbock. It has been erected in Slottstorget, a central square in the Swedish city of Gävle, since 1966. The structure is built from straw over a wooden frame and has become an internationally known seasonal landmark.
The goat is usually unveiled before Christmas and remains on display through the holiday period. Its fame comes partly from repeated attempts to burn or damage it, despite security measures and legal consequences. Some years it survives intact; in others it is vandalized or destroyed.
The Gävle Goat is not itself a midnight countdown or fireworks event. It is a Christmas-season symbol whose presence overlaps with New Year celebrations, and it represents a modern public version of an older Nordic winter tradition.