Gruß vom Krampus!

How's it going lurkers? Gruß vom Krampus! 

In case you did not already know or in case you forgot, today is Krampus Day. Krampus is Saint Nicholas' evil sidekick, who shows up every December 5th to punish "naughty children."

Growing up, I never learned anything about this evil goat demon from teachers or my family. 

Some classmates did not necessarily know anything about Saint Nicholas Day being on December 6th, which I always found to be very odd. They not only knew NOTHING about Saint Nicholas Day, but also knew nothing about Krampus Day. NEITHER were discussed in any of my K-12 schools. 

I suppose our teachers did NOT  want to traumatize us impressionable children. Otherwise, they probably never heard of Krampus either.

I recently learned about Krampus 3 years ago from watching Grimm on NBC. Speaking of Grimm, I will really miss watching this show after its series finale, in the spring. As comical as the writing is, viewers have been exposed to some international folklores and Germanic terms to describe various creatures known as "wesen."

The series also gave me a reason to start watching primetime shows on Fridays again, over these last 5-6 years. I would've tried sharing that Krampus episode from Grimm today, but no thanks to Hulu, only viewers subscribed to their site can watch online streams now.

Since that is the case, I have decided to share footage of a Krampus Parade instead. Last month in Schladming, Styria (a former small mining town in the northwest of Austria), a Krampus Parade was held. It is normally called Krampuslauf  meaning "Krampus Run."

Over 1200 Krampus celebrants dressed as the beast in black rags and masks drag chains behind themselves. 

Every so often, these celebrants hurl their chains and switches towards children. This is along with them swinging cowbells, which is to warn people that Krampus is coming.

In Scandinavian countries and other parts of Europe, Krampuskarten or "Krampus Cards" are given for Krampus Day.

Saying "Gruß vom Krampus" means "Greetings from the Krampus" in German.

The depiction of Krampus has evolved over time, since the 1800's. Older versions of Krampus cards depict this goat demon as more evil and frightening. In more modern times, he is depicted as more child friendly, if not a womanizer.

If you would like to learn more about Krampus, feel free to check out my previous blogs about him at the following:

Song Saturday: Krampus + More About Saint Nick's Evil Sidekick (2014)

Song Saturday: Midnight Syndicate's Night Of The Krampus (2015)

To celerate the holiday, here is footage of the Krampuslauf in Schladming, Styria from last month's Krampus Parade.

Krampuslauf ["Krampus Run"] In Schladming, Styria, Austria (2016)