It’s beginning to look a lot like Krampusnacht.
It’s that time of year again: The Krampus is coming to punish naughty children for their year’s worth of sins. Are you on his list?
Krampus is currently the most popular of the “companions of Saint Nicholas,” a collection of often fearsome figures who accompany the saint and dole out punishments to naughty children while St. Nicholas gives gifts to the nice ones. The origins of these characters are obscure, and popular essays (readily available on the internet) offer more speculation than certain fact.
Krampus, a demonic-looking figure with one cloven hoof, a long tongue, a wicker basket, and a bundle of birch twigs for whipping children, is particularly popular in Austria. His celebration, “Krampusnacht,” is on December 5th, immediately before the Feast of St. Nicholas. Although there is much speculation that he derives from a pre-Christian figure, possibly a fertility god, he and the other companions of St. Nicholas appear to be unattested until the seventeenth century.
Recent years have seen a resurgence in Krampus’s popularity. He has appeared in multiple books and movies, and many Alpine towns feature “Krampus runs” in which rowdy participants dress in Krampus costumes and sometimes harrass onlookers.
The library currently has a display of “Krampuskarten,” postcards featuring the Christmas devil, which became popular in Austria in the 1890s. Darkly humorous, they frequently portray Krampus tormenting children, though some more whimsical cards depict Krampus as a ladies’ man. We have a display of these cards out now on the main floor of the J. W. Martin Library, so come by to get yourself in a festive mood.
