Krampus
Sign in to savethumb|upright|1900s illustration of Saint Nicholas and Krampus visiting a child The Krampus () is a horned anthropomorphic figure who, in the Central and Eastern Alpine folkloric tradition, is said to accompany Saint Nicholas on visits to children during the night of 5 December (Krampusnacht; "Krampus Night"), immediately before the Feast of St. Nicholas on 6 December. In this tradition, Saint Nicholas rewards well-behaved children with small gifts, while Krampus punishes badly behaved ones with birch rods.
Wikipedia views (30d)
26,779 totalvia Wikimedia Pageviews API
Key facts
- Mythical creature.name
- Krampus
- Mythical creature.image
- Hl. Nikolaus in Begleitung des Krampus und Engeln.jpg
- Mythical creature.image_size
- 250px
- Mythical creature.caption
- Several depictions of Krampus alongside the Nikolaus
- Mythical creature.Similar_entities
- Knecht Ruprecht, Zwarte Piet, Snegurochka, Belsnickel, Straggele, Grýla, Namahage
- Mythical creature.Folklore
- German, Austrian folklore, Croatian folklore
- Mythical creature.AKA
- Krampusz, Kramper, Bartl
- Mythical creature.Country
- Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Liechtenstein, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Denmark
- Mythical creature.Region
- Southeastern Germany, Central Europe
- Mythical creature.Habitat
- Alps, Carpathian Mountains, Low Countries, Scandinavia
- Mythical creature.Details
- Known for being a companion of Saint Nicholas
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Part of
- Companions of Saint Nicholas
- Gender
- male
- Country
- Germany
- Image
- Hl. Nikolaus in Begleitung des Krampus und Engeln.jpg
Show 1 more fact
- P460
- devil
via Wikidata · CC0
Article
13 sectionsContents
- Origins
- Modern history
- Appearance
- {{anchor|Krampusnacht}}{{lang|de|Krampusnacht}}
- {{anchor|Perchtenlauf and Krampuslauf}}{{lang|de|Perchtenlauf}} and {{lang|de|Krampuslauf}}
- Criticism of the Krampus run
- {{Anchor|Krampuskarten}}{{lang|de|Krampuskarten}}
- Related celebrations and associated figures
- In popular culture
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
thumb|upright|1900s illustration of Saint Nicholas and Krampus visiting a child The Krampus () is a horned anthropomorphic figure who, in the Central and Eastern Alpine folkloric tradition, is said to accompany Saint Nicholas on visits to children during the night of 5 December (Krampusnacht; "Krampus Night"), immediately before the Feast of St. Nicholas on 6 December. In this tradition, Saint Nicholas rewards well-behaved children with small gifts, while Krampus punishes badly behaved ones with birch rods.
The origin of the figure is unclear; some folklorists and anthropologists have postulated that it may have pre-Christian origins, although historians generally consider this unlikely, as it is not attested until the 16th century. In certain traditional parades and in such events as the ("Krampus run"), some young men dressed as Krampus attempt to scare the audience with their antics. Krampus is featured on holiday greeting cards called .