Who Is Krampus? The Christmas Demon Behind Our Merry Krampus Hoodie
Every December, while most of Europe is thinking about presents, parts of the Alps make room for a much less cheerful visitor. Krampus is a horned, hairy figure from Central and Eastern Alpine folklore who turns up alongside Saint Nicholas, and he is the reason our Christmas range has a demon on it. Here's who he is, where he comes from, and how he ended up on our Merry Krampus Hoodie.
Who is Krampus?
In the folk tradition, Krampus is a companion of Saint Nicholas. When the saint visits children in early December, he rewards the ones who have behaved with small gifts. Krampus deals with the rest.
He is usually shown covered in brown or black hair, with horns, fangs and a long, pointed tongue hanging out of his mouth. One of his feet is often a goat's cloven hoof. He carries chains, which he rattles for effect and which are thought to stand for the binding of the Devil by the Church, sometimes with bells of different sizes attached. He also brings a bundle of birch branches to swat naughty children with, and in many versions a sack or basket on his back for carrying the worst of them away.
The tradition is strongest in Austria and Bavaria, and is also found in places including South Tyrol and other parts of northern Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Many areas have their own name for him: in parts of Austria and Bavaria he can be called Klaubauf, and in Slovenia he is known as parkelj.
Where does Krampus come from?
The honest answer is that nobody is sure. Some folklorists have suggested the figure has pre-Christian roots, but historians generally think this is unlikely, because Krampus isn't recorded until the 16th century.
What is better established is his link to the Perchten, devilish masked figures from older Alpine customs. Processions of Perchten are seen as an earlier form of today's Krampus runs. Over time, plays about Saint Nicholas brought the saint into these customs, and the wild figure became Krampus, now working under Nicholas. By the 17th century, Krampus had become the saint's helper, on the basis that a saint shouldn't be the one handing out punishments. He is one of several such companions in European tradition, alongside figures like Knecht Ruprecht and Père Fouettard.
Krampusnacht: 5 December
Krampus has his own night. Krampusnacht falls on 5 December, the eve of Saint Nicholas Day on 6 December. On that night, Krampus appears on the streets and visits homes and businesses, sometimes with Saint Nicholas and sometimes on his own.
In the traditional pairing, Nicholas brings gifts for good children, while Krampus brings coal and birch rods. In Styria, Austria, families can be given a bundle of birch rods painted gold, which is kept in the house all year as a reminder.
Krampus runs and parades
The best-known modern custom is the Krampuslauf, or Krampus run. Young men dress up as Krampus and roam the streets in groups, trying to scare the people watching. Costumes often use hand-carved wooden masks, part of a local craft tradition, and some runs include Perchten as well. It's customary to offer a Krampus a schnapps, a strong fruit brandy.
The runs aren't purely for show. They can get rough, and in 2013 a series of runs in East Tyrol sent eight people to hospital, mostly with broken bones, with more than 60 others treated as outpatients.
The tradition hasn't always been welcome. After the 1932 election in Austria, the Dollfuss regime banned it, and in the 1950s the Austrian government handed out pamphlets titled "Krampus Is an Evil Man", worried that he might frighten children. Interest came back towards the end of the 20th century and has kept growing since.
How Krampus became a horror icon
Krampus had a strong visual identity long before modern horror found him. Since the 19th century, people in Europe have sent each other Krampus greeting cards, often headed "Gruß vom Krampus" ("Greetings from Krampus") and finished with a humorous rhyme. The older cards in particular show him looming over children, and collections of them have since been published as books.
In recent decades the figure has spread well beyond the Alps. He has appeared in novels such as Gerald Brom's Krampus: The Yule Lord (2012), in comics, in episodes of TV shows including American Dad! and The Venture Bros., and in video games. Universal's comedy horror film Krampus (2015) brought him to a large cinema audience, and Krampus runs are now held in North America too.
It's not hard to see why horror and alternative culture took to him. He's a monster with real folk roots, he gives Christmas a dark side, and he looks the part: horns, chains and a tongue you won't forget. For anyone who finds tinsel and reindeer a bit much, he's an easy fit, which is why he's the star of our goth Christmas range.
Our Merry Krampus Hoodie and Joggers
The artwork on our Merry Krampus Hoodie is by Luiz Flora (@gato_del_diablo_design), and it's an Unusual Horror Original: our own design, made with an independent artist.
The back print shows a snarling Krampus face with curled ram's horns, a skull marked with an inverted pentagram sitting between them, and his long tongue hanging down. Chains and bells loop around him, snowflakes fall in the background, and "Merry Krampus" runs across the top. The front carries the Unusual Horror logo. Each sleeve has a strip of Christmas-jumper-style snowflakes with a Leviathan cross set in the pattern. It's a one colour white screen print on an Ultra Black Just Hoods hoodie, in sizes Small to 5XL.
The Merry Krampus Joggers carry the same snowflake and cross design down both legs, in sizes Small to 3XL, so you can wear the two together as a set.
Both are part of our Goth & Horror Christmas Jumpers & Hoodies, and you'll also find them among our Goth Gifts. Most of our range is made in small runs, so when a design sells out it may not come back.
Krampus FAQs
When is Krampusnacht?
Krampusnacht is on 5 December, the night before Saint Nicholas Day on 6 December.
Is Krampus the Devil?
Not exactly. He shares a lot of devilish features, such as horns, a cloven hoof and chains that are thought to represent the Devil being bound by the Church. In the tradition, though, he works as Saint Nicholas's helper, punishing badly behaved children rather than ruling over Hell.
Is Krampus a pagan figure?
It's often claimed, but it isn't proven. Some folklorists have suggested pre-Christian origins, while historians generally think this is unlikely, as Krampus isn't recorded before the 16th century. He is linked to the older Perchten traditions of the Alps.
Where is Krampus celebrated?
Mainly in Austria and Bavaria, and in neighbouring areas including northern Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Krampus runs are also growing in North America.
Folklore details in this post are drawn from the Wikipedia article on Krampus and the sources it cites.