Santa takes care of the nice, but who takes care of the naughty?
In old German folklore, Krampus is the character who takes care of the bad children.
Krampus’s story begins a while back, in 2,000 B.C. A “wild man” appeared in "The Epic of Gilgamesh," his name was Enkidu. Enkidu was half man and half beast, similar to what Krampus looks like today. Pagan traditions carried through the 4th century, including more depictions of wild men. The Brothers Grimm began publishing literature about ghastly and gruesome stories in which children were beaten, tortured, and killed.
On Dec. 6, Saint Nicholas Day, Krampus accompanies St. Nick by punishing the bad children. He is a hairy devil with horns, hooves, and a long scary tongue. He is also known by many other names such as Knecht Rupecht, Klaubauf, the Devil of Christmas, and Black Peter.
Krampus is no stranger to evil. He beats children, drags them away, sometimes throwing them into a sack beforehand. Walking with a ball and chain, he might beat the children while they are in the sack.
At one point in time, Santa was in charge of taking care of the good children, but still punishing the bad ones. Not long after, Santa became huge in America during the mid-1800s and was known for the “good” he did, i.e. bringing gifts and leaving notes. In Europe, Krampus became more and more popular, taking over Santa’s job of punishing the bad children. Greeting cards, Krampuskarten, read “Grüss vom Krampus” which translates to “Greetings from Krampus” and displayed various acts of Krampus doing his job. Naughty children knew they had to behave otherwise Krampus would come for them.
Krampusnacht, Krampus night, celebrates the monster with costumes and festivities. Every year, several Krampuslaufs or Krampus walks are held across the U.S. and Europe. At these walks, you will find hundreds of people dressed up like their favorite villain, Krampus.
One town in New Jersey showed their Krampus spirit in many ways at their very own Krampuslauf. Asbury Park held many events such as pictures with Krampus, a Krampus film festival, and a tales of Krampus walking tour. The Naughty List was read at 1 p.m.; did you make the list? To end the night, hundreds gathered to watch the lighting of the Krampus Tree!
He is revamped in the Christmas-themed thriller, "Krampus," which hit theaters on Dec. 4.
So watch out this holiday season, there might be a new visitor at your door!
