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Santa's Sinister Sidekick
"Christmas is nearly upon us and, with all its commercialism and saccharine rituals, it's all too easy to forget the true meaning of the season. Thankfully, the sanctity of this glorious holiday is still appreciated in parts of Germany and Austria where good, hardworking folk remember that Christmas isn't merely about the gifts; it’s about dressing up like a cloven-hoofed demon, terrifying children with violent, demonic folklore and drinking 180-proof licorice-flavored liquor until you puke."
—Feeling festive yet? Why not celebrate the season by revisiting this holiday classic about Krampus, Santa Claus' demonic buddy.
Of all the gifts the Awl has given, Krampus continues to be my favorite. Also – that illustration may be my ill-advised tattoo for the year.
Oh my god. This brings back some serious childhood trauma. When I was a kid my family lived in Germany for several years, and one year around Christmastime my mom took my little sister and I to Austria to see the church where “Silent Night” was written. We must have been there on Krampusnacht, because there were a bunch of dudes dressed up in costumes (they looked like furrier versions of the monsters from Where the Wild Things Are) that ran through the streets knocking people over and hitting them with sticks. They knocked over my sister (who was FOUR!) and grabbed my mom. A lot of the adults were laughing but as a child it was TERRIFYING. But, you know, I guess it was good for my parents – after that all they had to do was threaten us with Krampus to get us to behave.
@koko did it look something like this?
@Keith Kisser YES. (shudder) I am still terrified at the sight of that!!!!!!!
This didn't occur to me last year, but if he's the one driving the motorcycle, is he really the sidekick?
I always heard the Krampas demons in Berchtesgaden were played by the German Gebirgsjäger (mountain infantry). I believe that, because whenever some drunk hooligans tried to mess with them, one guy could easily set them straight.
My friends and I also stumbled on their secret starting spot one year and we discovered they're also drunk as skunks when they run around beating people.
Man, Germany is a lot of weird fun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_vfg8pnOaI