Krampus parades planned for Prague and across the Czech Republic

Is Jolly St. Nick just too full of whimsy for you? Do you find yourself siding (and rightfully so) with the Grinch and Scrooge when it comes to the spreading of annoying holiday cheer? Then maybe a Krampus parade is more your speed.

Krampus, the evil counterpart to St. Nicholas, comes in early December to punish children who were bad, even taking away the worst offenders in his sack — forever. Others get lumps of coal, or a smack from his bundle of sticks.

There
are a few organized events for Krampus in Prague, and what is billed
as the country’s largest Krampus parade takes place in South
Bohemia.

The event has been more popular in Austria and parts of Germany, where December 5 is called Krampusnacht, but now the figure is fast gaining a global following.

In the Czech Republic December 5 is the eve of Sv. Mikuláš (St. Nicholas), though an ash-black demon and white angel also tag along. But each year in Prague’s Old Town Square, fewer angels and Nicholases turn up, and there are more lone demons in very elaborate furry Krampus costumes ready to pose for selfies with anyone brave enough to ask.

This is the eighth year of the event, which has been bigger each time. Publicity has been off to a slow start due to the late confirmation that the event could take place. The town also has a Krampus Gallery with costumes as a year-round attraction.

Costumed Krampuses can also be expected at Sv. Mikuláš celebrations in Moravia, as the figure has long tradition there.

Origins of the Krampus are up for debate, though the tale seems to have come from the Alpine region of Austria and spread from there across the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. The first written mention of something like a Krampus parade in Bohemia comes from the 14th century, with religious reformer Jan Hus commenting on fur-masked figures riding backwards on donkeys, together with a Sv. Mikuláš figure in a bishop’s outfit.

The
name Krampus comes from Krampen, the German word for claw. The
traditional figure, before Christian times, would show up to unleash
the forces of winter on the land. He is thought by some scholars to
be the son of Hel, the Norse god of the underworld.