The Story of How Krampus Began
Ever wonder how Krampus began? What is the origin story of the evil demon of Christmas? It may not be exactly as you think. While most of us have treasured memories of sitting by the hearth on our grandparents lap, as they warmly shared the story of the holiday horror.
Ok. Maybe that didn’t happen.
But now you can share this tale with yours!
Krampus is the anti-Santa who, during the Christmas season, punishes children who have misbehaved.
But he not only punishes them. He murders them!
Where Did Krampus Start?
The history of the Krampus is not exactly clear. However as best we can tell the figure has been theorized as stretching back to alpine traditions of pre-Christian origin.
That’s right. There was a time when there wasn’t even a Santa. Just a dark and evil demon to look forward to every winter.
Krampus was likely invented to “keep children in-line” during a much more difficult and “East to perish” time in history. If children didn’t understand the dangers of the world at a young age, they could easily fall ill or into trouble and die. Sometimes the only way to get this message through, was the threat of a fictional demon.
Krampus and many variations of him have turned up in many countries around Europe, including Austria, Bavaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Northern Italy including South Tyrol and the Province of Trento, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Each having their own slightly different take on him.
Krampus Returns to Popular Culture
Austria in particular loves them some Krampus. After the 1932 election in Austria, the Krampus tradition was banned by the government as the new Christian Social Party that won. That wouldn’t keep the evil of the season down for long though. Towards the end of the century, Krampus celebrations occurred and continues today.
The joy of Krampus is slowly making its way into the United States as well. Will it ever be as popular as elf on the shelf or the jolly old man himself? Only time will tell.
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