Rune Hjarnø Rasmussen & Petter Madegård: The Return of the Yule Goat #43

The Yule Goat is an ancient Northern European symbol of the midwinter solstice, a time when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. The practice of dressing up like a horned goat for Christmas has many examples in Scandinavian history, though only echoes remain.

Friend of the show and historian of religion Rune Hjarnø Rasmussen has for the past few years aimed to remake a new tradition. Inspired by animism, carneval, Krampus processions in the Alps and samba he has started a Yule Goat Parade in the center of Copenhagen which this year will take place on the 16th of December.

We talk to him and mask actor Petter Madegård about the thoughts behind the parade, the old concept of beings of darkness bringing the light at the turning point of the year, and the importance of renegotiating your relationship with the absolute Other.

Videos from the Yule Goat Parade in Copenhagen: