Friday, 6 December 2013

Krampus, the Christmas devil

A Krampus in Neustift im Stubaital, Austria, on November 30, 2013


In what has to be the most terrifying of all Christmas traditions, in the week leading up to the Feast of Saint Nicholas on December 6 the horned and hairy Alpine beast known as Krampus runs riot on the streets of Austria, Bavaria and beyond. 

In Germanic folklore, Saint Nicholas rewards well-behaved children with gifts, while his devilish counterpart hunts down the naughty and the mischievous, hitting them with birch twigs and, if he's fast enough, capturing them in his sack and carrying them off to their doom.
Click or swipe through for more pictures of Krampus festivities.

 


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