It’s St. Nicholas Day, and in parts of Europe, this is when Father Christmas makes his first appearance of the season.
But this is also when some communities in Austria, Germany and several other countries hold parades involving a more nefarious holiday being… Krampus.
Now here in the US, Santa Claus is pretty much the one judge and arbiter of youth behavior around Christmas.
If kids are good, he gives them presents, if not, he gives them a lump of coal.
In these European countries, Kris Kringle only deals with the nice kids.
The naughty ones he leaves for Krampus, a creature with Pagan roots that often has horns and chains.
In folklore, this haunting figure finds misbehaving kids, stuffs them in his sack and either smacks them with a stick or drags their souls to the underworld as punishment (!)
Just as Santa has elves, Krampus can have evil elf-like minions known as Perchten who help him carry out various horrors.
Medieval communities would hold “Krampus runs” where someone would put on a scary costume and chase local kids so they’d behave, a sort of very old school “scared straight” program.
Not all of today’s parades are the same, so it’s good to read up on a specific one before you go.
Some are on the lighter side, sort of like a Halloween parade; others are not meant for kids or families at all.
The Krampus and Perchten costumes can be very elaborate, very detailed, and very scary.
And the participants really do hit parade watchers with sticks: I’ve read about a Krampus Code of Conduct that says they’re only supposed to swing below someone’s knees, and not too hard, but I’ve also read about parades that got out of hand and people getting hurt.
The latter is the exception rather than the rule, but it happens.
In other words, this is definitely not a holiday gathering for everyone, which makes a sort of creepy sense.
I mean, you’re really not supposed to want to encounter Krampus at this time of year, are you?
Starting tomorrow in Oklahoma, it’s the Minco Honey Festival.
Not only will there be food and live music, you can tour the honey plant in town, which is said to be the largest facility for honey production in the state.
Austria’s Krampus Parades, Where Santa’s ‘Evil Twin’ Will Beat You With a Broom (Travel + Leisure)
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