Krampus, in central European popular legend, a half-goat, half-demon monster that punishes misbehaving children at Christmastime. He is the devilish companion of St.Nicholas. Krampus is believed to have originated in Germany, and his name derives from the German word Krampen, which means “claw.”
Traditionally in Germany, a character called the Belsnickel would visit children alongside Saint Nicholas. Many cultures have an assistant accompany St. Nicholas/Santa Claus during his visits to punish the children who need to correct their behavior.
Krampus is basically the anti-St. Nicholas, the opposite of Santa Claus. He's a fugly mythical creature usually depicted with similar features as the devil. He has body hair, horns, hooves, and fangs.
The term Weihnachtsmann is a very generic German term for Father Christmas, St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus. The German Weihnachtsmann is a fairly recent Christmas tradition having little if any religious or folkloric background.
The Krampus is a horned anthropomorphic figure who, in the Central and Eastern Alpine folkloric tradition, is said to accompany Saint Nicholas on visits to children during the night of 5 December (Krampusnacht; “Krampus Night”), immediately before the Feast of St.
5 German Christmas traditions you should know | History Stories
Is Krampus Santa's enemy?
Almost everyone is familiar with the figure of the Krampus, but perhaps less so with who he was in the original folktales. Many people refer to him as the anti-Santa, or the demon opposing Father Christmas, the arch-enemy of the red-clad, big-bearded, potbellied gentleman.
Originating from Central European folklore—the same region that gave us Grimm's fairy tales—Krampus is the antithesis of Santa Claus, embodying the spirit of punishment for misbehaving children. Every Dec. 5, he gets his own holiday, Krampusnacht.
The modern figure of Santa is based on folklore traditions surrounding Saint Nicholas, the English figure of Father Christmas, the German Belsnickel and the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas.
Krampus is a mythical creature who is often depicted with horns and a demon-like face. According to myth, which likely originated in what is now Germany and Austria, the creature punished children who behaved badly.
The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around A.D. 280 in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey.
He is neither good or evil, as Krampus is a symbol of punishment or retribution. This folklore began in 12th century Germany, but has stretched as far as the United States when immigrants brought stories of a half man, half goat creature stealing bad children so he could devour them in his lair.
In fact, he probably eats flesh and blood for breakfast. Rawr! Krampus is known to be a creature of half goat / half demon makeup. He's hairy, usually black or brown, has goat horns, a forked tongue, vicious sharp fangs, and, naturally, cloven hooves.
He is usually drawn covered in black or brown hair and has a dominating presence, towering over humans at 8 or 9 feet tall. Krampus also came to represent the oncoming dark nights and the difficulty of surviving the Alps in the frigid winter. The name itself comes from the German word krampen, which means claw.
Weihnachten (German: [ˈvaɪ̯naxtn̩]) is the observance of what is commonly known in English as Christmas in the German-speaking countries such as Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
When World War II came to the United States with the bombing of Pearl Harbor just weeks before Christmas 1941, Santa Claus was again deployed to help with the war effort. Santa urged Americans to buy war bonds, conserve resources and maintain silence to prevent leaks to the enemy.
We also have German Christmas traditions to thank for the Christmas stocking! Traditionally the empty sock or sock-shaped bag was hung on Saint Nicholas Day so that Saint Nicholas (or related figures such as Santa Claus/Father Christmas) could fill it with small toys, candy and coins.
“We know Krampus dates back to before the Inquisition because it was banned then. Anyone caught dressing up as a Krampus faced the death penalty because it was perceived as a devil figure.” Interestingly, the Nazis also banned Krampus for its pagan origins.
Krampus is one such character who comes from folklore in Austria's Alpine region, where he's been frightening children and amusing adults for hundreds of years. Krampus, the half-man, half-goat counterpart to St. Nicholas, has been apart of folklore in Austria's Alpine region for hundreds of years.
Max sincerely apologizes for losing his spirit; although Krampus seems to accept his apology, he still tosses Max in as well. Max awakens in his bed on Christmas morning and discovers his family alive and well downstairs, concluding what happened was just a nightmare.
This way Santa in 2023 is around 1,752 years old. Hard to believe, but it makes sense when you remember the origin of Saint Nicholas, a monk from the 4th century.
Nicholas (more commonly known today as 'Twas the Night Before Christmas), often attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, Santa Claus himself is described in line 45 as follows: "He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf". Prior to the influence of St.
Santa is known as 'Sheng dan Lao ren' in Mandarin, which translates as 'Christmas Old Man', and he is seen as a non-religious figure who lives in a fairytale Arctic Christmas Village in China's North Pole.
While St. Nicholas rewards nice children by leaving presents, Krampus beats those who are naughty with branches and sticks. In some cases, he is said to eat them or take them to hell.
While preparing for a busy Christmas, Santa Claus discovers that all of his elves and his wife have turned into zombies after one of the infected elves dies following a fit of rage. He manages to kill them all, but is then forced to fight against Krampus.
Krampus is described as being an anthropomorphic figure, half-goat, half-demon, sharing many of the characteristics of fiendish creatures in Greek mythology, including satyrs and fauns. He has long horns, claws, and a goat-like beard.
