December 5#: Krampusnacht

3 min read

Embrace a darker yuletide tradition with chilling festivities, when a fearsome figure roams the streets!
Literally translated in English to “Krampus Night” and associated with the Feast of St. Nicholas, this day is a tradition believed to have started in Germany many centuries ago.
The day has grown in scope and is now celebrated throughout many European cities as a (not-so-jolly) opportunity to punish naughty children!

Krampus is a mythical character that appear as a sort of a horned, devil-ish goat-like monster, sometimes with a scraggly, hairy body as well as long tongue, depicted wearing chains who punishes children for misbehaving in the run-up to Christmas, usually by swatting them and carrying them away in his sack.
While the origins of Krampus may go all the way back already to the 7th century, it wasn’t until the 17th century when the character was paired with St. Nicholas in Christian winter festivities in Europe.
The creature has been used as a means to scare children into behaving ahead of the Christmas holiday, but he may also have the power to take away gifts given by St. Nicholas, replacing them with coal!

Krampusnacht takes place the day before the Feast of St. Nicholas.
The creature’s name derives from the word “krampen”, which means claw and, according to the legend, he is the son of Hel the Norse god of the underworld, and he may have originated as part of a winter solstice pagan ritual.
The Catholic church even attempted to ban Krampus celebrations because of his resemblance to the devil!
In many cities throughout Europe, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Slovenia, still today, men will dress up in costumes as Krampus and roam through the streets to frighten children. In some traditions, Krampus is also accompanied by an angel along with St. Nicholas himself.
In celebration of Krampusnacht, children in Germany and others who enjoy this tradition will often leave a boot outside their door so that St. Nicholas can fill it.
Of course, the hope is that it will be filled with something good, as a reward for well-behaved children. But it’s also possible that the mean Krampus will fill it with something unpleasant, like a rod.
Moreover, those who are interested in warding off the evil that Krampus brings might want to follow the tradition of creating a bundle of birch twigs and placing them on the front door.
Perhaps these will keep Krampus away and bring good luck all throughout the holidays!

One tradition associated with Krampusnacht is also the Krampuslauf (or Krampus Run, in English) which is a parade that includes people dressed up in their costumes, particularly popular in various Austrian Alpine towns, and other cities, such as Munich, Germany, will also feature a group of sometimes hundreds of folks dressed up as Krampus or St. Nicholas.
They wear giant horns, a carved wooden mask and fur costumes, carrying cowbells and sticks, which they use to poke the people they are chasing.