On Krampusnacht, Saint Nicholas walks through Alpine villages rewarding good children with gifts while Krampus follows behind swatting the naughty with birch switches and threatening to drag the worst away in his basket — a ritual pairing of kindness and terror attested across Austria, Bavaria, and South Tyrol from the 17th century onward.
The Krampuslauf and Perchtenlauf share performers, community groups, and carved masks across the Alpine region — the terrifying Schiachperchten with their horns, shaggy fur, and grotesque faces are nearly indistinguishable from Krampus figures, and Perchta's Rauhnächte processions run as a winter counterpart to Krampusnacht.
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