Krampus
Every December in the Alps, St Nicholas is followed by a horned, shaggy beast who punishes naughty children.
What was reported
Krampus is a figure of Alpine folklore in Austria, Bavaria and nearby regions: a horned, hairy creature with a long tongue, rattling chains and a bundle of birch twigs, who accompanies St Nicholas on the night of 5 December. While St Nicholas rewards good children, Krampus frightens or punishes bad ones, and in some tales carries them off in a sack.
In towns across the Alps, young men in hand-carved wooden masks and fur costumes run through the streets in the Krampuslauf, the 'Krampus run'.
Explanations offered
Krampus probably has roots in pre-Christian Alpine winter customs that were absorbed into the Christian St Nicholas tradition. Authorities in Austria discouraged the custom in the 1930s, but it returned and has spread around the world. He's a reminder that many winter traditions have a dark side.
- When
- Every 5 December
- Where
- Salzburg, Austria
- Witnesses
- Alpine tradition
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.