Krampus is Coming to Town
The Christmas demon whisks children away who have been ‘naughty, not nice’
At the very least since Austrian actor Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Bastards) explained on The Tonight Show who and what Krampus is, the iconic figure has garnered global attention. (Though you might still be more familiar with the festive Hollywood horror film of the same name.)
With some Austrian newspapers decrying the practice as a barbaric holdover from a darker age that encourages crime and robbery under the cover of night, the tendency has been to lament over the dangers posed by the horned demon(s) to susceptible children. For people who lived in villages and were party to the traditional ‘Krampus runs’, where masked demons are given free reign to frighten and terrorize the local population, that fear can still prove debilitating. In outlets such as VICE or the German paper Die Zeit, Austrian journalists have extensively documented their traumatic experiences in relation to the figure. These are accounts of children barricaded themselves in at home, blinds closed, not daring to set a foot outside as long as Krampus prowled. Others stories mention the deep-sitting fear of a potential ‘naughty’ verdict prompting some to hide underneath the table, refusing to see even St. Nick, till both he and his cloven-footed companion were gone.
As a child who grew up in urban Vienna, I was only party to the tame, toned down experience. I remember sitting on wooden benches with other children in our primary school gym, anticipating gift bags full of chocolate and oranges. Even then, Krampus interested me more as he did not speak, provoking my innate sense of wonder and speculation. (And this must not have been exclusive to me, either, as I faintly remember other children teasing Krampus, giggling and weaving in and out of sight when he playfully struck the air with his switch.) At home, I would learn to recite a poem around the dark but harmless figure of ‘St.Ruprecht’, a practice unique to children in the German speaking world. Ruprecht isn’t as nefarious as Krampus yet both share common roots-the poem about a figure instructed by the infant Jesus to carry a switch as well as a bag full of sweets, with the instruction to ferret out both ‘the naughty and nice children’, is interesting in that it does not go for the duality we are so used to today, in terms of St. Nick and Krampus.
The history of how this came to be may help explain why the tradition of a ‘Christmas demon’ even took hold in the first place.
Men used to wrap themselves in furs and masks and walk into the darkness in order to scare away both ghosts and demons. As Christianity became more prevalent in society, the custom grew suspect. It was first mentioned in a written note by St. Augustine in 400 AD. The eminent Catholic saint decried the practice as unholy, considering it anathema to church law and tradition. In Austria, this attitude resulted in a ban of the popular tradition during the Inquisition, the reasoning being that no one was allowed to costume themselves as a devil. In some barely accessible areas of the Alpine region, however, people continued to dress up as Krampus, despite the looming threat of execution. With the local population selectively undermining the official edict, over time monastery schools in the mid-17th century began to incorporate the story into Christian tradition, with the figure of St. Nick being added to the mix in order to police Krampus. (Nonetheless, up to this day, in some areas of Austria, such as Gasteinertal, Krampus continues to be seen as the figure who drives away the forces of darkness.)
Commercialisation of the figure occurred in the 80’s when Austria gave up it rights to postcard production. Until World War I, Germany began exporting Krampus themed cards to other countries. These featured a frightening version of the figure who hits children with his bundle of sticks or tries to stuff them into his sack, but, ironically, also one willing to whisk adults off. Depictions varied from a kitschy ‘amourous Krampus’ to a vindicator serving just retribution.
The social revolutionary aspect of the Krampus figure is traditionally tied to an old German saying, ‘Jemandem die Rute ins Fenster legen’. This literally means to put a switch in somebody’s window-in the old days, Krampus would do just that in a specific home, to signify that a master was inordinately cruel or miserly to his subordinates.
The tradition of Christmas horror is an old one, dating back to Victorian times-our favourite tale of the season, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, does, after all, feature three ghosts with the apparition of Marley, Scrooge’s old business partner, weighed down with chains and locks. With the focus these days being on presents and innocent cheer, it’s easy to forget that in the 19th century, Christmas was an occasion of wild revelry. It was characterized by people going from door to door, demanding alcohol and threatening home owners if they did not receive it. In modern terms, the festivities would have resembled a mix of Halloween, Christmas and New Year. (And, on a side note, that’s also why Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands are considered Christmas films.)
The 5th of December is the annual ‘Krampus Day’ followed by ‘St Nicholas’s Day’ on the 6th of December-whatever your stance on the custom, it’s a welcome opportunity to indulge in a treat or two and maybe even consider the duality of life, should you not be opposed to it. Otherwise, some merry Christmas cheer for those of us who also love when it goes bump in the night.
