Did you know Santa Claus has an evil counterpart that sparks curiosity and wonder?
If you didn’t know, you’re not alone; most people don’t know there’s an evil version of Santa Claus who punishes naughty children from the past year.
Who is this villain?
Krampus. He’s the yin to Santa’s yang and the bad cop to Santa’s good cop.
Santa, the yang of the pair, is the epitome of goodness who gives boys and girls who were obedient and well-behaved that year gifts.
Krampus is Santa’s yin and is usually depicted with horns and a demonic facial expression.
Parents would warn their children about him to help them understand cultural traditions and encourage good behavior, telling them that Krampus punished children who misbehaved during the past year by hitting them with a tree branch or kidnapping them in a basket.
Krampus is also known as Klaubauf, Toife, Toifi, or Toifl (a word similar to “devil”).
His history is mainly German and Austrian, reflecting a rich cultural history that many can find relatable or intriguing, although there are “several origins, which are located in different historical and geographical contexts,” according to Gertraud Seiser, a researcher in the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Vienna.
Matthew Rest, a Social Anthropologist at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany, isn’t sure, but believes the name Krampus was introduced in eighteenth-century Vienna.
Although the exact origins of the Krampus myth are unknown, stories about him have existed since at least the Age of Enlightenment (1685-1815), when he first appeared as a figure teaching children obedience and discipline.
Traditionally, Krampus visits naughty children on December 5th, with people wearing masks and chasing them through streets in a tradition called “Krampus Nacht,” which vividly illustrates this unique custom.
But children who behaved well that year woke up the following morning, December 6th, to gifts from Santa before the Feast of Saint Nicholas.
During the mid-1800s, Krampus celebrations had diminished and were observed only in small numbers in Salzburg, Tyrol, and Bavaria, but regained popularity in the 21st century.
Currently, some Germans, Austrians, and even Americans dress up and participate in “Krampus Runs” on December 5th.
Were you a virtuous boy or girl this year? Who will visit you?
Krampus or Santa Claus?