Peoples’ desire to burn the Gävle goat isn’t about them hating it. It’s a “my son loved your drawing so much that he ate it” sort of a deal.
also the endless allure of arson
Oh yeah we definitely also love arson.
Look, the Long Night demands a sacrifice to chase away the dark and cold. You need a burnt offering. The bigger, the better. You can’t make a giant flammable effigy and NOT give it to the gods of Winter.