December 18, 2020 • 15 mins
This story is a collection of the times I needed my favorite comfort food: milk and almonds. And I’ll tell you about two Christmas traditions in a city in Sweden: creating a Christmas Goat… and destroying it.
Need to see it to believe it? Check out the Yule Goat's Twitter: @Gavlebocken
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Today's stories about almonds, celebrations, and enormous coats. It's also
about me, your host an Opum Care, but mostly it's
about making you smile. Welcome to an Opum Cares, Chapter ten.
Milk and Almonds. A few days back, I told you
(00:34):
about my first play in the fifth Standard. My teacher
gave me the lead role in our class play as
the King, but it ended up being a disaster. In
the middle of the play, the milkman son Nandu decided
he didn't want to lose the sword fight to me
on stage, a fight we had choreographed and rehearsed so
many times, so Nano improvised. He lifted my scrawny body
(00:59):
up over his head and threw me into the audience.
You might say that was the night my career took flight,
but I didn't see it that way. It was not
a great night for me. After witnessing my defeat, my
father had an idea to toughen me up. Seeing me
(01:20):
tossed aside so easily, he told my mother give him
milk and almonds. We need to build a bit to strength.
My mother agreed, but our family didn't have money to spare,
so she said okay, when we can afford it as bad.
If I have it, I will give it to him.
(01:42):
And so once a week I was given my new
vitamin milk and almonds protein to make me stronger, better,
more successful. And when we didn't have milk and almonds,
I was given bean sprouts, anything to help me succeed. Now,
if a glass of milk and handful of almonds sounds
(02:02):
like a treat to you, that's how it seemed to
me too at first. But after chewing the same handful
of almonds into the same pace and swallowing the same
glass of milk, weaken and week out, well it's possible
I started to feel a little less grateful. Mm hmmmm.
(02:29):
But that doesn't mean my parents didn't see any changes.
Remember the story how I was sitting with my crush
on a balcony and I accidentally dropped my photograph along
with a love note I had written, and how it
fell into my mother's lap. Well, my mother was certain
of what had happened. She brought the photo home and
showed my father the words your body is as smooth
(02:52):
as sandal wood, and she told him sandalwood, milk and almonds.
She knew what had given me my romantic energy, and
the milk and almonds were promptly stopped. But let's fast
(03:12):
forward a little. When I was in my late twenties,
my career was finally taking off and I was soaring.
I just got on my breakout role in the film
Sarranch The Essence. I had won all the awards that season,
and I was only waiting for one, the biggest one,
(03:34):
the Government's National Film Award for Best Actor. I was
so excited and I knew I was going to win.
After all, I had the best performance of that year.
He attest Helena bobbed up the Petty Carney. The day
(03:56):
the winner was going to be announced, I was on
top of the world. I was staying in a five
star hotel for the first time, taj Coromondal Inch nine.
It had a C and a C was working and
for the first time, I ordered a Scotch whiskey Black level.
Film stars in India drink black level. I was there
(04:23):
in my hotel room, waiting for room service and savoring
the moment while I waited for the awards to be broadcast,
and then on the TV host appeared. It was starting
as she began reading the names of the winners. I
started to smile. A screenplay, okay, best director expected, best
(04:53):
Supporting Actor. I was up next, and as the hostess said,
the award for best Actor will go to I raised
my glass and toasted chairs Darling. All that was left
was to drink my drink. She continued, Best Actor will
go to Naudin Shah for par Nasir Shah. It took
(05:18):
me fifteen minutes to lower my arm. I sat on
the bed stunt. What do I do? I thought that
was my greatest performance and greatest disappointment. Sitting there alone
in my lavish hotel room, I felt so small. I
needed something to comfort me. So I called down to
(05:41):
rooms Ice and said, please, can you cancel my previous
order and send me some almonds and a glass of
milk instead? That day, I ate a meal fit for
a king, a scrawny one. It's true I didn't get
(06:02):
an award for my character in Sarash. All those lines
I had rehearsed over and over, and I was disappointed.
But thanks to my parents support, I had been practicing
for this moment too. I knew I would keep acting.
I just needed a little strength to move forward. Speaking
(06:34):
of interrupted celebrations. I want to tell you about a
city in Sweden whose inhabitants have been starting over every
winter since NI six. The city called Evely is in
central Sweden, and in six local ad consultant there named
(06:54):
Stig was on a mission. See wanted to attract more
business to the shops on the south side of the
city across the river. As it happened, the winter holidays
were approaching, and that gave Steve an idea. We all
celebrate the holidays differently. In America, Santa is known for
(07:15):
delivering Christmas gifts, but in Scandinavia, it's not Santa who
brings the presents. It's the Yule box or the Christmas coat,
and it's common for people to play small goats made
of straw tied with red ribbon under their Christmas trees.
But Steve had something much bigger in mind. He wanted
(07:36):
to build a giant coat to bring people to town.
But he also knew that all of that straw and
ribbon was going to be expensive, so he started to
fundraise for the project. When someone agreed to pay for
the materials, Steve left the task of building the Christmas
Coat in the hands of his brother, Er again the
city's fire chief. With Er again in charge, what could
(07:59):
go wrong? So in December one, the first giant you'le
goat was built right near the fire station. It rose
forty three ft into the air and was made from
three tons of wood and straw, plus yards of red ribbon.
The goat stood like a beacon over the town square,
(08:19):
attracting shoppers and warming hearts. Steaks idea was working. Then
things heat it up for the people of yeve Lay.
The straw goat proved to be irresistible, and by New
Year's Eve the goat had really caught. On that night,
(08:39):
as people gather to celebrate the end of the old
year and welcome the new one, a vandel crept up
to the holiday mascot and lit it on faster. The
straw body placed and the goats silhouette was wrapped in
bright ribbons of flame. The culprit was eventually found and
(09:02):
charged with vandalism, but the damage had been done. The
court had been burnt down after only a month, and
Steaks financier backed out. There was no one to fund
the goat for the next year. Luckily, a group of
local business owners liked steaks idea, and they stepped into pay.
For the following few years, the Yule goat would rise again,
(09:25):
but so would the flames. Each year, some pesky hooligans
would take it upon themselves to roast the strong goat.
For two years there was peace, but then on New
Year's Eve, history repeated itself. Theyvely goat was burned down
just as before, and the next year it didn't even
(09:46):
make it to New Year's The coat was burned down
just six hours after being built. The merchants grew tired
of their coats being burned down and they stepped down
from constructing them. By then, the towns Court tradition was
well known. People wanted to keep the tradition alive, so
the science club of a local high school took over.
(10:08):
The students built a much smaller version of the goat.
Maybe this tinier target would survive, but the little goat
burned just like the rest, and from their things only escalated.
The Yule goat continued to be destroyed year after year
for decades. As the tradition grew, city officials tried new
(10:31):
means of protection. Fences were built, guards were posted, but
the goats kept burning. One year after the goat was
burned down, a replacement was built and for extra safety,
it was fireproofed with aircraft grade flame retardant. That year,
the second goat wasn't burned, it was smashed two pieces.
(10:52):
Other years it's stolen, cut apart, even rammed by a car.
It seemed the only thing that warmed people's hearts more
than seeing their you'll goat tower over the city was
seeing it destroyed. The townsfolk went to great lengths to
keep the traditional alive. After two decades of building and burning,
(11:14):
the Science Club's court was entered into the Guinness Book
of World Records and for added protection, that year the
coat was enclosed by a six foot metal fence and
guarded by securities and soldiers from the local Swedish Infantry.
And just like the others, that court only lasted till January.
(11:35):
It too went up in flames. Over the years, bookies
started taking bets on when exactly the courts would build it,
and despite the city's efforts to protect the goats, the
pranksters always seemed to find a way to destroy it.
When the committee set up webcams to watch the goats,
they were disabled by hackers, and the goats were burned
(11:57):
another year when a guard was posted miss ship makers
pay him to leave his post and the good was
stolen by helicopter and flown to Stockholm. But perhaps the
best story is from two thousand five, when two men
dressed as Santa Claus and the gingerbread Man approached the
goat with the bow and took it down with a
(12:19):
flaming arrow. Since nine six, the goat has only survived
seventeen winters, and it seems even nature can't choose a side.
Cards were posted for the goat. In that year there
was a bad blizzard. In all the snow and wind,
(12:43):
there was no way to ignite the court, and as
the weather got worse, the guards decided to tuck into
a restaurant to warm up. When they eventually looked outside, well,
what do you think they saw there in the middle
of the blizzard, Like a miracle the goat burn. Stig's
(13:23):
original mission was to use the giant goat to attract
people to the businesses nearby, and it worked. In two
thousand eight, then thousand people came to the goats inauguration,
and today people from und in five countries watch a
live stream of the yev La Court waiting to see
if the straw animals will survive into the new year.
(13:43):
You can even follow the goat on Twitter. The funny
thing is, if it weren't for the Goat Committee rebuilding
a goat year after year, there would be nothing to burn.
But if it weren't for the fires, well, you probably
never would have heard about it. One thing seems certain though,
(14:05):
from the ashes. The goat will rise again, and as
I learned eating milk and almonds, choosing to begin again
is an achievement of its own. That's the real success story.
(14:28):
That's it for today's episode. I'm an opum Care. Be
kind to yourself and thank you for listening. Opum Cares
(14:49):
is a production of I Heart Radio. I'm your host
an opump Care. Our Executive producer Is Mangis, Senior producer
Julian Weller, Associate producer Morgan Lavoy. Sound design and mixing
by Julian Weller and Dan Bauza. Music by Aaron Kaufman.
(15:10):
Production support from Emily Maronoff and Mary Duke. Writing by
Lucas Riley, Matt Riddle, Margon Lavoy and Julian Weller. Lucas
Riley and Matt Riddle are our story editors. Thanks to
Sikin Paru, Hermand de Suza, Godwin Amana Sidium Studios, Conald Byrne,
(15:30):
and Bob Pittman Sandalwood
Today's stories about almonds, celebrations, and enormous coats. It's also
about me, your host an Opum Care, but mostly it's
about making you smile. Welcome to an Opum Cares, Chapter ten.
Milk and Almonds. A few days back, I told you
(00:34):
about my first play in the fifth Standard. My teacher
gave me the lead role in our class play as
the King, but it ended up being a disaster. In
the middle of the play, the milkman son Nandu decided
he didn't want to lose the sword fight to me
on stage, a fight we had choreographed and rehearsed so
many times, so Nano improvised. He lifted my scrawny body
(00:59):
up over his head and threw me into the audience.
You might say that was the night my career took flight,
but I didn't see it that way. It was not
a great night for me. After witnessing my defeat, my
father had an idea to toughen me up. Seeing me
(01:20):
tossed aside so easily, he told my mother give him
milk and almonds. We need to build a bit to strength.
My mother agreed, but our family didn't have money to spare,
so she said okay, when we can afford it as bad.
If I have it, I will give it to him.
(01:42):
And so once a week I was given my new
vitamin milk and almonds protein to make me stronger, better,
more successful. And when we didn't have milk and almonds,
I was given bean sprouts, anything to help me succeed. Now,
if a glass of milk and handful of almonds sounds
(02:02):
like a treat to you, that's how it seemed to
me too at first. But after chewing the same handful
of almonds into the same pace and swallowing the same
glass of milk, weaken and week out, well it's possible
I started to feel a little less grateful. Mm hmmmm.
(02:29):
But that doesn't mean my parents didn't see any changes.
Remember the story how I was sitting with my crush
on a balcony and I accidentally dropped my photograph along
with a love note I had written, and how it
fell into my mother's lap. Well, my mother was certain
of what had happened. She brought the photo home and
showed my father the words your body is as smooth
(02:52):
as sandal wood, and she told him sandalwood, milk and almonds.
She knew what had given me my romantic energy, and
the milk and almonds were promptly stopped. But let's fast
(03:12):
forward a little. When I was in my late twenties,
my career was finally taking off and I was soaring.
I just got on my breakout role in the film
Sarranch The Essence. I had won all the awards that season,
and I was only waiting for one, the biggest one,
(03:34):
the Government's National Film Award for Best Actor. I was
so excited and I knew I was going to win.
After all, I had the best performance of that year.
He attest Helena bobbed up the Petty Carney. The day
(03:56):
the winner was going to be announced, I was on
top of the world. I was staying in a five
star hotel for the first time, taj Coromondal Inch nine.
It had a C and a C was working and
for the first time, I ordered a Scotch whiskey Black level.
Film stars in India drink black level. I was there
(04:23):
in my hotel room, waiting for room service and savoring
the moment while I waited for the awards to be broadcast,
and then on the TV host appeared. It was starting
as she began reading the names of the winners. I
started to smile. A screenplay, okay, best director expected, best
(04:53):
Supporting Actor. I was up next, and as the hostess said,
the award for best Actor will go to I raised
my glass and toasted chairs Darling. All that was left
was to drink my drink. She continued, Best Actor will
go to Naudin Shah for par Nasir Shah. It took
(05:18):
me fifteen minutes to lower my arm. I sat on
the bed stunt. What do I do? I thought that
was my greatest performance and greatest disappointment. Sitting there alone
in my lavish hotel room, I felt so small. I
needed something to comfort me. So I called down to
(05:41):
rooms Ice and said, please, can you cancel my previous
order and send me some almonds and a glass of
milk instead? That day, I ate a meal fit for
a king, a scrawny one. It's true I didn't get
(06:02):
an award for my character in Sarash. All those lines
I had rehearsed over and over, and I was disappointed.
But thanks to my parents support, I had been practicing
for this moment too. I knew I would keep acting.
I just needed a little strength to move forward. Speaking
(06:34):
of interrupted celebrations. I want to tell you about a
city in Sweden whose inhabitants have been starting over every
winter since NI six. The city called Evely is in
central Sweden, and in six local ad consultant there named
(06:54):
Stig was on a mission. See wanted to attract more
business to the shops on the south side of the
city across the river. As it happened, the winter holidays
were approaching, and that gave Steve an idea. We all
celebrate the holidays differently. In America, Santa is known for
(07:15):
delivering Christmas gifts, but in Scandinavia, it's not Santa who
brings the presents. It's the Yule box or the Christmas coat,
and it's common for people to play small goats made
of straw tied with red ribbon under their Christmas trees.
But Steve had something much bigger in mind. He wanted
(07:36):
to build a giant coat to bring people to town.
But he also knew that all of that straw and
ribbon was going to be expensive, so he started to
fundraise for the project. When someone agreed to pay for
the materials, Steve left the task of building the Christmas
Coat in the hands of his brother, Er again the
city's fire chief. With Er again in charge, what could
(07:59):
go wrong? So in December one, the first giant you'le
goat was built right near the fire station. It rose
forty three ft into the air and was made from
three tons of wood and straw, plus yards of red ribbon.
The goat stood like a beacon over the town square,
(08:19):
attracting shoppers and warming hearts. Steaks idea was working. Then
things heat it up for the people of yeve Lay.
The straw goat proved to be irresistible, and by New
Year's Eve the goat had really caught. On that night,
(08:39):
as people gather to celebrate the end of the old
year and welcome the new one, a vandel crept up
to the holiday mascot and lit it on faster. The
straw body placed and the goats silhouette was wrapped in
bright ribbons of flame. The culprit was eventually found and
(09:02):
charged with vandalism, but the damage had been done. The
court had been burnt down after only a month, and
Steaks financier backed out. There was no one to fund
the goat for the next year. Luckily, a group of
local business owners liked steaks idea, and they stepped into pay.
For the following few years, the Yule goat would rise again,
(09:25):
but so would the flames. Each year, some pesky hooligans
would take it upon themselves to roast the strong goat.
For two years there was peace, but then on New
Year's Eve, history repeated itself. Theyvely goat was burned down
just as before, and the next year it didn't even
(09:46):
make it to New Year's The coat was burned down
just six hours after being built. The merchants grew tired
of their coats being burned down and they stepped down
from constructing them. By then, the towns Court tradition was
well known. People wanted to keep the tradition alive, so
the science club of a local high school took over.
(10:08):
The students built a much smaller version of the goat.
Maybe this tinier target would survive, but the little goat
burned just like the rest, and from their things only escalated.
The Yule goat continued to be destroyed year after year
for decades. As the tradition grew, city officials tried new
(10:31):
means of protection. Fences were built, guards were posted, but
the goats kept burning. One year after the goat was
burned down, a replacement was built and for extra safety,
it was fireproofed with aircraft grade flame retardant. That year,
the second goat wasn't burned, it was smashed two pieces.
(10:52):
Other years it's stolen, cut apart, even rammed by a car.
It seemed the only thing that warmed people's hearts more
than seeing their you'll goat tower over the city was
seeing it destroyed. The townsfolk went to great lengths to
keep the traditional alive. After two decades of building and burning,
(11:14):
the Science Club's court was entered into the Guinness Book
of World Records and for added protection, that year the
coat was enclosed by a six foot metal fence and
guarded by securities and soldiers from the local Swedish Infantry.
And just like the others, that court only lasted till January.
(11:35):
It too went up in flames. Over the years, bookies
started taking bets on when exactly the courts would build it,
and despite the city's efforts to protect the goats, the
pranksters always seemed to find a way to destroy it.
When the committee set up webcams to watch the goats,
they were disabled by hackers, and the goats were burned
(11:57):
another year when a guard was posted miss ship makers
pay him to leave his post and the good was
stolen by helicopter and flown to Stockholm. But perhaps the
best story is from two thousand five, when two men
dressed as Santa Claus and the gingerbread Man approached the
goat with the bow and took it down with a
(12:19):
flaming arrow. Since nine six, the goat has only survived
seventeen winters, and it seems even nature can't choose a side.
Cards were posted for the goat. In that year there
was a bad blizzard. In all the snow and wind,
(12:43):
there was no way to ignite the court, and as
the weather got worse, the guards decided to tuck into
a restaurant to warm up. When they eventually looked outside, well,
what do you think they saw there in the middle
of the blizzard, Like a miracle the goat burn. Stig's
(13:23):
original mission was to use the giant goat to attract
people to the businesses nearby, and it worked. In two
thousand eight, then thousand people came to the goats inauguration,
and today people from und in five countries watch a
live stream of the yev La Court waiting to see
if the straw animals will survive into the new year.
(13:43):
You can even follow the goat on Twitter. The funny
thing is, if it weren't for the Goat Committee rebuilding
a goat year after year, there would be nothing to burn.
But if it weren't for the fires, well, you probably
never would have heard about it. One thing seems certain though,
(14:05):
from the ashes. The goat will rise again, and as
I learned eating milk and almonds, choosing to begin again
is an achievement of its own. That's the real success story.
(14:28):
That's it for today's episode. I'm an opum Care. Be
kind to yourself and thank you for listening. Opum Cares
(14:49):
is a production of I Heart Radio. I'm your host
an opump Care. Our Executive producer Is Mangis, Senior producer
Julian Weller, Associate producer Morgan Lavoy. Sound design and mixing
by Julian Weller and Dan Bauza. Music by Aaron Kaufman.
(15:10):
Production support from Emily Maronoff and Mary Duke. Writing by
Lucas Riley, Matt Riddle, Margon Lavoy and Julian Weller. Lucas
Riley and Matt Riddle are our story editors. Thanks to
Sikin Paru, Hermand de Suza, Godwin Amana Sidium Studios, Conald Byrne,
(15:30):
and Bob Pittman Sandalwood
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