Happy Halloween, Missians!
I'm happy to see today come, so I can get to see my nieces and nephews dress up and enjoy themselves, (and also to see all the neighborhood kids having fun), but I'm also a little sad that this is our last October Pet Spooktacular post of the year. But that's okay. We've had a great "Season 5" edition of Pet Spooktacular episodes and blog posts, and that just gives us a reason to come back even stronger in 2019.
For today's episode, since it's Halloween, I decided to still have the traditional spooky theme of a typical Pet Spooktacular post, but combine it with a Christmas theme, (in celebration of the upcoming holiday season that pretty much kicks off in November). And what do you get when you make such a combination? You get Krampus! And just who is Krampus, you ask? Find out in the article, "Legend of Krampus Shows the Dark Side of Santa Claus" by Mary Huddleston.
Check out the link here.
While children in America are trying their hardest to stay up late to catch a glimpse of Santa on Christmas Eve, Austrian children cower in fear that they will be whisked away by Santa’s not-so-jolly companion: Krampus. Santa Claus’s naughty list will lead you to a lump of coal in your stocking; a day-ruiner, sure, but not a life ruiner. Landing on Krampus’ naughty list, though, is a much bigger deal.
Many images of century-old Krampus depict a hairy beast with ram-like horns, hooved feet and canine incisors packed into a blood-red mouth. It is easy to see that Krampus is the terror of Christmas. The wearing of and thrashing about in heavy chains symbolizes his bond with the devil as he carts away the naughty on a one-way ticket to hell. Krampus’ role as a dark shadow to jolly St. Nicholas proves that there really are two sides to everything.
Stemming from German folklore when paganism ran rampant, it was not until the 17th Century that Santa’s evil twin solidified his role as a Christmas tradition in Central Europe — specifically in Austria. Whereas jolly St. Nicholas delivers presents under decorated trees, Krampus prefers to throw children in his sack where corporal or capital punishment awaits. Tales describe Krampus as leading the naughty to death by eating, drowning and beatings with birch tree branches.
Legend has it that Krampus wanders the streets on the Eve of St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6, with his pal St. Nicholas. Austrians have taken it upon themselves to preserve this legend by partaking in a booze-fueled Krampusnacht (Krampus Night), which draws in thousands of people who wander the streets dressed as the devilish figure to terrorize children. However, the Austrian government did not take such festivities so lightly. For several decades in the 1900s, all Krampus-based celebrations were banned in the country.
The idea of Krampus has made its way to the United States in recent years. Americans welcomed the counter-Santa with open arms as a balancer to the overly commercialized, always cheery Christmas season. Hollywood has even taken the old legend and run with it by producing horror films featuring Krampus and his unorthodox practices. The most recent rendition is Universal Picture’s release of Krampus in December 2015, which tells the story of a boy who accidentally summons the Christmas demon into his family home.
All of the hype and media surrounding Krampus can be viewed as a double-edged sword. While most everyone welcomes a great campfire story, some may not be so accommodating to the darker side of the merry Christmas season. The strong Christian background in America’s Christmas tradition could potentially be a reason why Krampus has never taken off to the degree that it has in Austria. Yes, the idea of Krampus could potentially make children think twice about their behavior during the holiday season, but intimidating children is not what Christmastime is all about.
No matter your stance on Krampus, keep in mind that while Santa Claus is spreading the goodwill, there is another entity dealing out some holiday justice. So the next time someone tells you “Seasons Greetings” or “Merry Christmas,” beware that Krampus knows the naughty list just as well as ol’ Santa Claus does.
After seeing the movie, "Krampus" a few years ago, I must say I'm quite glad that "he" didn't catch on here in the states. I often found myself already sweating bullets over the idea that "regular, nice Santa Claus" was in my house delivering toys, let alone, a mean, child-kidnapping, monster-like version.
Anyhoo, that's it for now. Here's to wishing you all a wonderful and safe Halloween! Check back here Friday, to find out what's coming up in November for The Missy Show.
I'm happy to see today come, so I can get to see my nieces and nephews dress up and enjoy themselves, (and also to see all the neighborhood kids having fun), but I'm also a little sad that this is our last October Pet Spooktacular post of the year. But that's okay. We've had a great "Season 5" edition of Pet Spooktacular episodes and blog posts, and that just gives us a reason to come back even stronger in 2019.
For today's episode, since it's Halloween, I decided to still have the traditional spooky theme of a typical Pet Spooktacular post, but combine it with a Christmas theme, (in celebration of the upcoming holiday season that pretty much kicks off in November). And what do you get when you make such a combination? You get Krampus! And just who is Krampus, you ask? Find out in the article, "Legend of Krampus Shows the Dark Side of Santa Claus" by Mary Huddleston.
Check out the link here.
Legend of Krampus shows the dark side of Santa Claus
While children in America are trying their hardest to stay up late to catch a glimpse of Santa on Christmas Eve, Austrian children cower in fear that they will be whisked away by Santa’s not-so-jolly companion: Krampus. Santa Claus’s naughty list will lead you to a lump of coal in your stocking; a day-ruiner, sure, but not a life ruiner. Landing on Krampus’ naughty list, though, is a much bigger deal.
Many images of century-old Krampus depict a hairy beast with ram-like horns, hooved feet and canine incisors packed into a blood-red mouth. It is easy to see that Krampus is the terror of Christmas. The wearing of and thrashing about in heavy chains symbolizes his bond with the devil as he carts away the naughty on a one-way ticket to hell. Krampus’ role as a dark shadow to jolly St. Nicholas proves that there really are two sides to everything.
Stemming from German folklore when paganism ran rampant, it was not until the 17th Century that Santa’s evil twin solidified his role as a Christmas tradition in Central Europe — specifically in Austria. Whereas jolly St. Nicholas delivers presents under decorated trees, Krampus prefers to throw children in his sack where corporal or capital punishment awaits. Tales describe Krampus as leading the naughty to death by eating, drowning and beatings with birch tree branches.
Legend has it that Krampus wanders the streets on the Eve of St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6, with his pal St. Nicholas. Austrians have taken it upon themselves to preserve this legend by partaking in a booze-fueled Krampusnacht (Krampus Night), which draws in thousands of people who wander the streets dressed as the devilish figure to terrorize children. However, the Austrian government did not take such festivities so lightly. For several decades in the 1900s, all Krampus-based celebrations were banned in the country.
The idea of Krampus has made its way to the United States in recent years. Americans welcomed the counter-Santa with open arms as a balancer to the overly commercialized, always cheery Christmas season. Hollywood has even taken the old legend and run with it by producing horror films featuring Krampus and his unorthodox practices. The most recent rendition is Universal Picture’s release of Krampus in December 2015, which tells the story of a boy who accidentally summons the Christmas demon into his family home.
All of the hype and media surrounding Krampus can be viewed as a double-edged sword. While most everyone welcomes a great campfire story, some may not be so accommodating to the darker side of the merry Christmas season. The strong Christian background in America’s Christmas tradition could potentially be a reason why Krampus has never taken off to the degree that it has in Austria. Yes, the idea of Krampus could potentially make children think twice about their behavior during the holiday season, but intimidating children is not what Christmastime is all about.
No matter your stance on Krampus, keep in mind that while Santa Claus is spreading the goodwill, there is another entity dealing out some holiday justice. So the next time someone tells you “Seasons Greetings” or “Merry Christmas,” beware that Krampus knows the naughty list just as well as ol’ Santa Claus does.
After seeing the movie, "Krampus" a few years ago, I must say I'm quite glad that "he" didn't catch on here in the states. I often found myself already sweating bullets over the idea that "regular, nice Santa Claus" was in my house delivering toys, let alone, a mean, child-kidnapping, monster-like version.
Anyhoo, that's it for now. Here's to wishing you all a wonderful and safe Halloween! Check back here Friday, to find out what's coming up in November for The Missy Show.
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| Krampus mit Kind ("Krampus with a child") postcard from around 1911 Public domain |
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