Tonight by tradition, Krampus will visit tonight, Dec 5th, and take away "Bad children."
This of course is a tradition in Central Europe, particularly, Southern Germany ( Bavaria) where my wife's people originated. ( Also Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Northern Italy)
Krampus is a half-goat, half demon, often a brown or black in color, has cloven hooves, horns of a goat, and his tongue lolls out, and is pointed...Krampus has fangs.
The origin of the figure is unclear; some folklorists and anthropologists have postulated it as having pre-Christian origins.
And Krampus has often been known to visit with St. Nicholas on Dec. 6th.
St. Nick of course brings gifts to "good children."
Krampus in depending on the community either beats the children with birch branches, eats them, drowns them, or in Germany chains them up and carry them off to hell.
In some communities, especially, in N. Italy, Krampus supplies coal for Santa to put in bad kid's stockings...
The birch branches and coal have carried over to popular " American Culture" particularly the branches in the South becoming, " You've been so bad, Santa ain't bringing you nothing but a sack full of switches."
So, for the 3 dozen of you who've been particularly bad, it's been good knowing you....( Then again, in parts of Germany and Austria, Krampus can be bribed with Schnapps.....But I don't know, some of y'all have been irredeemably bad...)
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