Who Is Krampus And What Does He Do? The Story Behind Bad Santa Known As The ‘Christmas Devil’

The holiday season is here which means naughty children should beware of the Krampus.

The Krampus, also known as the “Christmas Devil,” is a creature from a German legend centuries ago. The story focuses on the time in which the creature and Santa Claus visit houses. The night of Dec. 5 is known as Krampusnacht, or Krampus Night and the following day is known as Nikolaustag, or St. Nicholas Day, National Geographic reports.

It is said that during the Christmas season children go missing or are beaten with birch branches, they are then placed into a sack and taken to the Krampus’ lair where they are either tortured or beaten. On Dec. 6, St. Nick then treats the good children to delicious candy which is placed in their shoes while naughty children receive twigs or rods placed in their footwear.

“You have the saint, you have the devil. It taps into a subconscious macabre desire that a lot of people have that is the opposite of the saccharine Christmas a lot of us grew up with,” Jeremy Seghers who organized the Florida Krampusnacht festival in 2015, told Smithsonian.com.

The creature is said to be made of half goat, half demon with horns and fangs and is the son of the Norse god of the underworld. Krampus originates from the German word “krampen,” which means claw. Throughout the years, the story of the Krampus has spread across the world, however, some religions were not fond of the creature. Due to the Krampus’ the resemblance to the devil, the Catholic Church tried to banish celebrations during the 12th century.

However, in recent years, the image of the creature is not often associated with negativity. In Austria, retailers have made themed figurines, chocolates and more collectibles based off of the Krampus. Along with Austria, other countries like Germany, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, celebrate on Dec. 5. Along with parades, men also dress up as devils and chasing civilians through the streets. The U.S. joined in on the legend last year, releasing the horror film, “Krampus.”

“These days, Krampus is the fun character,” history professor at Johns Hopkins University Peter Jelavich said. The festivities are said to put people in touch with their animalistic side and also acts as an adult version of Halloween.