Masked devils acting boisterously and making nuisances of themselves are known in Germany since at least the sixteenth century while animal masked devils combining dreadful-comic ( schauriglustig) antics appeared in Medieval church plays. The feast dedicated to this patron of children is only one winter occasion in which children are the objects of special attention, others being Martinmas, the Feast of the Holy Innocents, and New Year's Day. Nicholas himself became popular in Germany around the eleventh century.
The Saint Nicholas festival we are describing incorporates cultural elements widely distributed in Europe, in some cases going back to pre-Christian times. The history of the Krampus figure has been theorized as stretching back to pre-Christian Alpine traditions.ĭiscussing his observations in 1975 while in Irdning, a small town in Styria, anthropologist John J. Almost unknown before this time, Krampus has begun to become part of American popular culture.Ī person dressed as Krampus at Morzger Pass, Salzburg, Austria Since 1984, the character has become better known globally, having been portrayed in Hollywood horror films. Krampus is featured on holiday greeting cards called Krampuskarten. Such events occur annually in most Alpine towns. In traditional parades and in such events as the Krampuslauf (English: Krampus run), young men participate dressed as Krampus and attempt to scare the audience with their antics. The origin of the figure is unclear some folklorists and anthropologists have postulated it as having pre-Christian origins. Assisting Saint Nicholas, the pair visit children on the night of 5 December, with Saint Nicholas rewarding the well-behaved children with modest gifts such as oranges, dried fruit, walnuts and chocolate, while the badly behaved ones only receive punishment from Krampus with birch rods. The Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure in Central and Eastern Alpine folklore who, during the Christmas season, scares children who have misbehaved. 1900s illustration of Saint Nicholas and Krampus visiting a child
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