Krampus is a half-goat, half-demon legend that originated in central Europe, primarily
Germany, as the monster that would punish bad children during Christmas. He is St. Nicholas’ companion. The name is derived from the German word “Krampen,” meaning claw.
Krampus is believed to have been a part of rituals for the pagan holiday Yule. He was the son of Hel, who is the Norse God of the underworld. After the spread of Christianity, Krampus started to become associated with Christmas rather than Yule. The Catholic church tried to ban him, but with Christmas taking over Yule, he stayed.
Krampus and St. Nicholas are said to arrive on December fifth, known as Krampusnacht, or “Krampus Night.” As St. Nicholas goes around giving gifts to the good kids, Krampus beats the bad ones with sticks. Some variations of the story describe Krampus eating them or taking them to Hell. December sixth, the next day, is called “St. Nicholas Day” because the good children happily awake to their presents.
A festivity that involves Krampus on Krampus Night is the Krampuslauf, “Krampus run.” During the run, people drink, dress up, parade around the streets and scare spectators. One main person would dress up as Krampus with chains around his neck, while others would thrash around in the chains as they walked around. These chains were used to represent how Jesus binds the Devil. The Krampus impersonator would also carry twigs to swat children who were bad.
In the late 20th century, Krampus runs became popular again in Austria and Germany to preserve heritage. Around the same time as the runs became popular again, Krampus began to get noticed internationally. In the US, a haunted attraction called “Krampus Haunted Christmas,” with a less authentic representation of the original folklore and more of a Christmas-halloween fusion.
