Simple Swedish Podcast - #309 - Gävlebocken

Episode Date: December 22, 2025

Här kommer berättelsen om en julbock som det har blivit en sport att bränna ner. Är det inte konstigt? Jo, men varje år så frågar sig folk - kommer bocken klara sig, eller brinna ner? Länk till livesändning via webbkamera. För transkript till alla avsnitt - bli patron! Del av transkriptet:  Hallå där! Välkommen till Simple Swedish Podcast. Hoppas du mår bra. Ja, jag sitter i Valencia och det regnar väldigt mycket just nu. Men jag ska faktiskt till Sverige ganska snart. Jag åker på måndag. Måndag den 22 december, då kommer jag till Sverige för att fira jul. Och i dagens avsnitt har vi nånting som relaterar till julen. En liten intressant berättelse, en lite märklig berättelse. Det handlar om en julbock av halm som man sätter upp varje år i Gävle, men som det har blivit en slags tradition att bränna ner. 30 gånger har bocken brunnit. Och varje år frågar sig folk, ska bocken brinna igen? Folk slår till och med vad om ifall bocken kommer brinna eller inte. Och det ger tre gånger pengarna om bocken inte brinner. Ja, så det här ska vi prata om nu och jag ska förklara vad en bock är, vad halm är, vad Gävle är och allting annat. Men först ska jag tacka några patrons såklart.   Det är Edi, Yoon, Ipek, Eleni, Garfield, Tayyab, Diane, Leticia, Aivar, Leticia och Melina. Så tack, tack till er för att ni stödjer den här podden. Om du också vill stödja podden, gå till www.patreon.com/swedishlinguist. Okej, så först och främst, vad är en bock?

Hello there, welcome to Simple Swedish podcast. Hopas, you know, I sit there in Valencia and it rains very much just now. But I'm actually to Sweden. I'm going to go on Monday. Monday, the 22nd December. Then I come to Sweden for to fire Jules.

And in the day's ofsnit have we something that relaterer to Jules. An little interesting beretting, a little merckly

beretelse. It is about a julbock of halm as you're up every year in Javle but

as it has been a slash tradition to burn near 30 gonger has

bocken brunnit and every year asks people should bocken

again people slore to more what if bockin or not and it gives three-gonger

the bockern if bockin'er. So, this is we talk about and I can for-clar what an bock

is, what haalm are, what javle are and allting another. But first

I will I tacka some partons so-clart it is Eddie June, IPEC, Eleni, Garfield, Tayaab, Diane, Leticia, Ayvar, Leticia, Iyenne, and Melina. So, thank, thank to you for that you stodger this pod.

If you also will stodia podden, go to, what is it, patreon.com slash Swedish linguist. Okay, so first and first and first of the first of first, what is a bock? So a bock is a get that is a han, an han-get. An get

is the here the animal that says, meh. Little as a foar, but not,

not a foe, but an get. And, yeah, a get, it has horn. And if we We're talking about a get, which is hane,

also, a han, an han, then we're a bock. And bocken has long been a symbol for juleen in Sweden. We're talking about a julebock. And it was actually bockens who came with juleclappar. before Tomten started doing it so we had

also a julbock that came with juleclappar for in time and if you will know more

about that so have I a about the tomten where you also can hear

on the story on the yulbock and it is ofs 64 so listen

I'll just. Okay, but I can't share a little more about this, about Javlebocken. So Javle is a town, that's two timbre, north of Stockholm. And there, in Javle, there, setter

one up a julebock every year, since 1966. And we call it the bockin for javlebocken. And it's a very strong bock of halm. Halm is a slacks grass that you can't give to the deer for to eat.

It is like hugh. I don't know actually not the difference between halm and hough. But, yeah, it is well, about same thing. So, you're up

this this first Sunday in Advent, often, in the beginning of December. And then is 13 meter

high, actually. So, an very strong bock of halm. And what is a little

interesting, with this, a little macabre, is that it's almost always near. And first the first gongen that it was 1966. And then

stood it, the whole december, but the clocker 0.0.00 on 9-year-noughten, then brandes it's down. So, someone

will four new year on a little extra spenando set and burned down the julebocken.

And this person was for grove scadgulse to be that oughtalas that

the police arresteded him and he steled his for rettta and he was told

for those grove scard Scadegurelse. Scadegarelse is that that you have done on something

oftenest, something private-egendom or all-men-eget-dom or something so. And after this, so has it

been like some some sort of bizarre tradition, also to burn to burn down this julbocken.

1970, So, four years after first Yulbocken, then brand it just six timmars after that they had set up it. So they sat up

the Yulebocken and just six times later, so come none and burned it and the coming 20 years so brand

bockin almost every year but this was so-clart something that the commune not so glad

for communen also a commune is an indelning of landet it,

it is municipality on English so the communen was not glad over this

and and you have done more and more for to to try to hinder

that bockens you have anvent vacter you, you have sat up cameras,

man has impregnered material so that it not it can brinna like let

and on the year has the communen has better with to forhindra that

bockin'er. So, the senest o'ern, so, brinner bockin not like often, but

still far and another year. Senast bocken brann was 2021. So for four years since.

We know if bockin will beckon will brine in year, we can actually slough

wad if the bockin or not. Also, you can slow what? It means that that you bettar

whole so you can betta pengar, you can slow wad and it gives more

more money if bockin store quar. It can't and give two, three-gonger,

the punger, if bockin is still if it not brinner, for that it is more that it is more

sanolict that it actually brinner. And total set, so has bocken

brunit 30 times. It has also been forsturred on other

set. To example 2024, Then 4, then it was bocken up-a-etting of fowglar, actually. So it came fowgler and ate up the bockin. It has stott, kwar, 20-gonger total, since 1966. So it has, like, been a sort of sport to burn down bockon. So, it's, it's, people

that's, like, burn down it. And this has, you actually, that bockin has been chained, even internationally.

And, this has, you, get a javle upmacksmhet. So, so that, so that there

is a slack debate on, is it good, that bocken brinner for that people

should be interested and that people are also upmarks javle so that

it can be good for tourism and so things if it actually brinner

inbland so it there is a slack debate about it and they have

actually they have burned, they have burned bockin one under controlled

former 1997 but generally generally has said no

to to burn bock on a controlled set for you

want to not upmuntra to moodbrand yeah modbrand is an

unlagged brand so a brand that's a criminal type of brand that someone that someone burn up

something with an offsick to or cause to cause cause for egendom or for life so

Mordbrand is like a a brot a criminal handling and the communen says we

will not upmuntra to moodbrand so there's they're

no we will not not burnn the so they

they they're to try to hinder that bokken brens

so they they're trying see to that bock not

brinner yeah so what Trot you? Trot you that bockin will be brinner

in year or not? If you would you slow with money? If you

would you set up on if the bockin or not? I don't not where

you can do it but you can you know know can also

see this this this this this live, for it there's always an web camera

that gives bockin live and, yeah, so I leave a link to it in the description. And the difference between to brinna

and to burnna, what is that? Jo, that burnna is an active handling. If I If I burner something

that I do that I do so that it brinner. So if I burner bockin, it means it

that I do so that the bocken brinner. It's the same thing as that I

legger something on boardet so that it is on boardet or I

setter something on the so that it sits on

the or I legger, sets, steller, yeah, this are active

handlinger. And then then, then, there, sits, it, brinner,

and so. So, I hope that this this was an interesting ofsnit and so

we see which Ode-Bocken in year if it comes clara or if it

come to brinner okay here we how the word to clear say

funger so come the bocken clara say also come

it not um yeah not be not be bad

or brinna or like come it for be oscad come it to car

say or come it to meet his ird and brinna. We can see.

The who lever can see. Yeah, I ask you an really good jule and a good new year.

So, we'll be soon again. Hey, hey.