Krampusnacht - A holiday celebrated in Bavaria, much Eastern Europe and other parts of Germany feels more Halloween than Christmas. On Krampusnacht, December 5th, men dressed as Krampus drink a bunch of alcohol, run through the streets, and frighten children. Often they chase delinquent children around and hit them with sticks.
The Krampus costume is traditionally made of a hand carved wooden mask and a suit made from sheep or goat skin. Cowbells are worn around the wearers hips. Now they are usually made with less expensive materials, like faux fur and face paint.
Krampusnacht folklore goes back at least a thousand years with most anthropologists agreeing that it is a pre -Christian pagan mythology tradition. Some agree that it derives from a pagan supernatural who is assimilated to the Christian devil. Overtime Krampus was turned into the mischievous, child-terrorizing ghoul we see today. Traditionally Santa Claus and Krampus appear together working as a team with Santa rewarding the good children and Krampus punishing the bad ones.
It is now a tradition that is widely known throughout the world (Even I am writing about it - mostly for the photos and American Dad videos). Even this Bro down there has a Krampus Ugly sweater and that costume below it sells for $70 (discounted from $122) - A Christmas Commercial success. (And that Krampus movie on netflix).
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