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In 2015, Krampus became a bit more popular to the rest of the world than it was before, due to the movie Krampus which might have gotten some things wrong, but it was a hit nevertheless. A short introduction is that Krampus is a Christmas demon who keeps children from misbehaving and looks absolutely terrifying. He has his roots in German folklore, has his own festival, and is much more than just the opposite of St. Nick.
7 There Can’t Be Only One
Even though popular belief has Krampus being one entity, in “reality” Krampus is more of a genre than it is the description of one monster.
There can be many Krampuses, and even though it is not a very comforting thought, the image of St. Nicholas with his own gang of horned demons is certainly something spectacular to picture.
6 Besties With St. Nick
As weird friendships go, this one has to be in the top 5. Instead of being sworn enemies, as it would have been expected, Krampus and St. Nick are actually having a bit of a bromance.
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Like Doctor Who, the pals travel around the world on Christmas, delivering gifts and mischief – depending on the occasion. While Santa gives gifts to children who behave nicely, Krampus gives them a good whooping if they’ve been naughty. The good cop–bad cop duo may not be politically correct all the time, but they certainly have a special friendship.
5 Krampus Christmas Cards
Along with exchanging ideas for the best Christmas movies to watch, holiday fans have the option to also exchange Krampus Christmas Cards.
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In the Alpine region of Europe (Austria, parts of Germany, etc.), it is perfectly normal to send your friends a Krampus themed card, and the tradition dates back to 1800. Instead of Santa putting gifts in socks, people can send the friends a picture of Krampus putting children into sacks or hitting them with sticks.
4 He Is Not Human
Many characters in games that have a Christmas theme are not humans, so why don’t the developers go ahead and create a Krampus game already? The beloved slash loathed Christmas demon is not one that shares the human gene, although he does have human characteristics. He usually features one human foot and one cloven hoof, and is depicted by being half goat and half demon.
Whenever he is used as a Christmas villain though, he certainly has human needs and feelings, but that’s to be expected, even if he has fangs and a forked tongue.
3 He Is A Superstar In Germany And Austria
While the rest of the world is busy buying gifts, preparing for Christmas parades, and wondering where they’re going to spend Christmas Eve, in Austria and Germany people prepare for the Krampus festival that comes a bit earlier.
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On the eve of December 5th, the Krampusnacht happens. On that night, Krampus comes to town and looks for anything that’s not to his liking, from little misbehaving children to dirty houses and shops, and gives his swift revenge on those on his list, by either beating them up, leaving coals all around or just plainly kidnap them and taking them to the underworld.
2 He Is Part Of A Big Horrible Family
He might be friends with Santa, but Krampus doesn’t have only him to spend the cold winter nights with and maybe watch some Christmas specials together.
In fact, Krampus is a part of quite a big family of Christmas horrors:
Jolakotturinn . The yule cat is a giant cat that visits kids’ houses at Christmas and punishes all those who didn’t get new clothes as gifts. Gryla . She is the owner of the yule cat and the mother of the yule lads. She haunts, cooks, and eats children. The Yule Lads . There 13 of them, and each has their own little mischief that they perform, according to their names. Hans Trapp . A Christmas scarecrow, which has a taste for human flesh. Frau Perchta . Also known as “Spinning Room Lady”, Frau Perchta is a witch with a long knife under her skirt and sets fire to all the fabric women haven’t finished weaving. Also, if the house is not properly tied up, she will disembowel the owners and replace their guts with straw and rocks. Belsnickel . A combination of Santa and Krampus: beats up children who aren’t good and gives gifts to the good-behaving ones. He appears as a guy dressed in furs and carrying switches which he uses for the beatings.
1 Fascists Don’t Like Krampus
In Austria, from 1934 until 1938, Krampus was banned along with the annual festival, while the fascist regime was in place. Why? Simply because fascists hated Krampus.
The idea that he was the opposite of Santa, meaning he was evil, went against Christian beliefs and was a symbol of Social Democrats. They didn’t only ban the celebration but warned anyone dressed as Krampus that they would be arrested on sight. This is something that should definitely be added to the Krampus legend and his powers.
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