Last Saturday was St. Nicholas's day. To some of us that means...

December 8, 2014 1:14 PM

It's KRAMPUS time! Krampus's stylization changes from region to region. Some Krampuses have many horns and many have no horns (but these may just not be mature).

It is a tradition that, so far, has not been homogenized and sold. Walmart has tried to cash in with this mask but homemade is still the order of the day. Many of the European troupes have made their own masks of wood for century or longer.

Bodies can be hair- often goat skins- but some areas use plant fiber.

I can't help but see similarities of costume in wildly different parts of the world (west Africa, Europe (Wilder Mann, previously, Macedonia (more horns abound), Hastings, England's Jack on the Green festival) and think it is a little piece that is left of a much older way of seeing the world.

Krampus previously on metafilter here and here and here and here and here.

posted by boilermonster (10 comments total)

My friend is a big fan of Krampus who would really like to get a fancy costume but they're imported and too expensive. We went out to dinner on Krampus Day. He, I mean Krampus, gave me a gift of chocolate coal and chocolate coins. (He couldn't decide if I had been good or bad.)
posted by quiet earth at 1:36 PM on December 8, 2014

Most of the folks I know make their own.
I started the body with a ghilli suit. It will also double as a bigfoot if you make a head for it.
posted by boilermonster at 2:14 PM on December 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

When they have the Krampusnacht parades, are all children considered bad and therefore fair game? If so, how do they prevent the little kids from being scarred for life?
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 2:37 PM on December 8, 2014

The enjoyably goofy TV show Grimm had Krampus as the Monster of the Week for its Christmas episode last year. I think I'd heard of him before that, but I'd always kinda conflated him with Père Fouettard and Zwarte Piet. Who knew there was a host of "dark and/or menacing Christmas characters"?

Seasonally appropriate monsters may be a regular Grimm thing now. This year's Christmas episode had kallikantzaroi!
posted by nicebookrack at 3:00 PM on December 8, 2014

I have to ask: in this picture linked in the post, what's the deal with the funny-looking Krampus in the middle with the silly hat and the stick?
posted by koeselitz at 3:03 PM on December 8, 2014

The bearded figure might be a Belsnickel but these thing had many iterations and it just be Uncle Hans up to one of his gags.
posted by boilermonster at 3:38 PM on December 8, 2014

I am reminded of a favorite Wonderella strip.
posted by mordax at 5:44 PM on December 8, 2014

I rather liked the sneakily happy looking Krampus on The League's Krampus Carol (this episode free with Prime).
posted by phearlez at 10:43 AM on December 10, 2014

The Best and Funniest Christmas Comic Book Ever
posted by homunculus at 3:06 PM on December 22, 2014

He Sees You When You’re Sleeping, and Gives You Nightmares
posted by homunculus at 3:09 PM on December 22, 2014