An important part of the pre-Christmas celebrations of the Advent calendar in the Christian tradition is 6th of December, or the day of St. Nicholas.
He was a Greek Bishop in Myra in the 4th century. Many miracles have been attributed to him, thus came his nickname – The Wonderworker. He is also the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers and children in various countries in Europe.
In Western Christianity, Saint Nicholas is known to be a secret gift-giver to the well-behaved children. However, not all children have behaved during the year and that is where Krampus enters the stage.
Across German-speaking Europe, Krampus is a famous Christmas demon. Usually depicted as a black or dark brown, hairy anthropomorphic figure with horns and a long tongue. There are variations in his appearance, according to the region, but traditionally the character wears chains and bells and his looks are associated with the Devil’s.
He appears along with St. Nicholas as his antipode, who punishes and tortures the disobedient children. Krampus would spend the night of 5th December visiting each house and getting all who misbehaved through the year. He would toss the mischievous children into his basket and take them straight to Hell.
That special night is known as Krampusnacht (Krampus Night) and there are festive celebrations that mark it. In the Germanic folklore tradition, people go out in the streets, wearing hand-made costumes of Krampus to drink schnapps, dance and participate in such events as the Krampuslauf (Krampus run).
The origins of Krampus root in Paganism and pre-Christian times. His image is undoubtedly linked to the Horned God of the Witches. Similar characters appear in Medieval church plays, while St. Nicholas is known in Germany at least since the 11th century. The figure of Krampus endured during time and by the 17th century was adopted by the Christian tradition for the winter festive season as a bad companion of the good Saint Nicholas, whose name is actually the basis of the modern Santa Claus.
