Nope, that's not supposed to be the devil, or even that Tim Curry villain from
Legend. It's the
Krampus! According to the legend, the Krampus is the monstrous creature that accompanies St. Nicholas on his annual sleigh ride around the world in order to warn and punish all of the world's naughty children as St. Nicholas rewards the good children. He may only be one of
St. Nick's many companions, but he is certainly the most frightening.
He gives those song lyrics a whole meaning:
Oh You better watch out, You better not cry, You better not pout, I'm telling you why. Krampus is coming to town!
What on earth has this creature of the night – more orc than elf – to do with Christmas? If you have children you may well be aware of the mantra – if you don’t behave then Father Christmas won’t bring you anything. The idea behind Krampus is similar – only the threat is not that Santa won’t bring them anything but that Krampus will whip them in to the New Year.
When children are bad these days that usually means that they are threatened with no presents when Santa Claus does his rounds. In some places, however, children receive far less leniency. There, children grow up with the fear that Krampus might pay them a visit.
In Europe, the Krampus began to gain notoriety outside of remote isolated Alpine areas due in part to the popularity of Christmas cards portraying him in the late nineteenth and earl twentieth centuries. Above is just one example of many from that period. As you can see below, the image of Krampus has changed little over the years. In fact, he's become even scarier.
Where did the legend of the Krampus originate? The word itself comes from the Old High German "krampen," which means
claw. A bit ironic when you consider how much "Claus" sounds like "claw." Clearly, these Germans were fixated.
According to legend, the Krampus is an incubus who accompanies Santa Claus. An incubus is a demon in male form which visits sleepers and lies upon them (the word comes from the Latin ‘incubo’ which is to lie on top).
The Krampus is not your common garden-variety cat burglar. His purpose is to punish the children who have misbehaved during the year. In early twentieth century postcards, you can see the whip (or "Virgacs") he would carry with him.
In Austria particularly, Krampus Night (‘Krampusnacht’) is still vigorously celebrated on December 6th, the eve of Saint Nicholas’ Day. Young people dress up as Krampus and parade through the streets of towns with whips, staves, flails, and even flaming torches to strike fear into the hearts of young children.
The traditions surrounding the Krampus vary wildly due to the isolation of the alpine communities where its legend was most readily embraced.
In Bavarian traditions, the Krampus is referred to as “Wilde Mann” and as "Knecht Rupert," but nearly all traditions are clear on one point - the punishment of naughty children.
During Hungary's industrial revolution, the legend of the Krampus was softened somewhat. There, he is considered to be a mischief maker rather than an outright malignant evil entity. There, he most often carries the Virgacs, a set of branches bound into a lash.
Over a thousand Krampus (Krampi?) gather each year in the town of Schladming, Austria in Europe's single largest celebration of the Krampus. The participants generally carry sticks and light weight whips, but most revelers tends to concentrates on the young ladies of the town who have lingered on the streets too late into the night
Traditionally, Krampus masks are made of wood. Outer garments are made from black sheep’s wool and horns.
The festival is gaining popularity in other, surprising, parts of the world, largely because it ties in so nicely with the goth aesthetics of our day.
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