Krampus- Germanic DemonDemon"Companion of Saint Nicholas"

Krampusnacht

On the night of December 5th, Saint Nicholas walks through the towns and villages of the Austrian, Bavarian, and South Tyrolean Alps. He rewards good children with gifts. Behind him comes Krampus.

The demon has cloven hooves, curved horns, a long red tongue that lolls from his mouth, and a covering of dark shaggy fur. He carries a bundle of birch switches for swatting. He drags chains that clink and rattle before he rounds the corner. On his back he bears a basket in which he threatens to carry away the naughtiest children, to drown them, eat them, or drag them to Hell. The saint gives. Krampus takes. The earliest references to Krampus by name appear in Alpine records of the 17th and 18th centuries, though the tradition of monstrous companions to winter gift-bringers is almost certainly older.

The Mask and the Costume

The Krampus costume is built around the mask. Mask-carvers (Larvenschnitzer) in the Gastein Valley and the Salzburg region carve each one by hand from linden, pine, or Swiss stone pine, shaping horns and grimacing faces that take weeks of work. Some masks have been passed down through generations. The full costume adds sheepskin or goatskin, heavy chains, and cowbells that create a wall of sound. In the Gastein Valley, a complete Krampus outfit can weigh over thirty kilograms.

The Krampuslauf

Groups of young men don the costumes and roam the streets in what is called a Krampuslauf, a Krampus run. They chase bystanders, swat at them with birch switches, and fill the streets with noise: bells, chains, shouting. The runs range from small village processions to events in the Salzburg area that draw hundreds of Krampus figures from surrounding communities.

The chaos follows unwritten rules. Children and the elderly are treated more gently. The wildness, however convincing, stays within bounds the community recognizes. When the run ends, the masks come off, and the young men return to the tavern.

The Perchten

Krampus is closely related to the Perchten, masked figures who appear during the Rauhnächte (Rough Nights) between Christmas and Epiphany. The Perchten are connected to Frau Perchta, a supernatural figure of Alpine folklore who inspects homes during the Twelve Nights. The terrifying Schiachperchten (ugly Perchten) share horns, fur, and grotesque carved faces with Krampus. The Schönperchten (beautiful Perchten) represent benevolent forces. The same masks may serve for both Krampuslauf and Perchtenlauf, and the performers often belong to the same community groups.

Banned and Revived

Krampus has been banned more than once. The Catholic Church periodically discouraged the celebrations as remnants of paganism. In the 1930s, the Austrian Austrofascist government tried to eliminate the tradition as too uncivilized for a modern nation. Through the mid-20th century, interest waned across many Alpine regions.

The tradition came back. In the late 20th century, community Krampus groups (Krampusvereine) organized, new masks were carved, and runs that had gone quiet for decades grew into major events. Towns that had let the custom lapse revived it. The masks, the switches, the chains, the noise in the winter dark: none of it proved easy to kill.