Christmastime all over the world is filled with charming traditions and heartwarming gatherings. People get together to celebrate love and peace and generally have a happy time. However, there are a few curious traditions that stand apart from the usual Christmas themes of love and light. One such tradition is Krampus, the Christmas demon.
Written by Leah Hochstetler; Edited by Simon Dutkiewicz
Revision 1.0
Krampus is a half-goat/half-demon from German and Austrian folklore. He is said to accompany Saint Nicholas on December 5 (the night before Saint Nicholas day) to punish naughty children with beatings or by taking them to Hell. Legend says the creature originated from pagan solstice traditions, although there is no real evidence of the creature’s origin.
He acts as a counterpart and helper for Saint Nicholas—as it would be very unsaintly for Nicholas to punish the children himself. The name Krampus is thought to come from the German word “krampen” which means “claw.” The Krampus legend exists alongside many other legends of Saint Nicholas’s helpers from that part of the world such as the Belsnickel (which made its way to the US through Pennsylvania-Dutch influence) and the ever-problematic character of “Black Pete” from Dutch traditions…
Krampus emerged with the celebration of Saint Nicholas Day in the 17th century. At some point, the tradition of Krampuslauf (Krampus Run) emerged. In this alcohol-filled celebration, people dress up as Krampus and parade through town while scaring spectators. Krampuslauf traditions were dying out in the early 19th century.
However, with the arrival of postcards in Austria-Hungary in the latter half of that century, Krampus was repopularized through Krampuskarten (postcards featuring drawings of Krampus punishing kids).
Since the turn of the 21st century, Krampus traditions have gained lots of newfound popularity and worldwide renown. With the advent of the internet, Krampus started to become prevalent in American popular culture. An episode of Scooby-Doo from 2012 focused on Krampus, and quite a few Krampus horror movies were released in the 2010s, the most notable being Michael Dougherty’s Krampus, which was released in 2015.
The legend of Krampus serves as an interesting contrast to the more wholesome American Christmas traditions—although it bears interesting similarities to certain American holiday traditions like Christmas elves and Halloween parades.