If you’re a diehard fan of The Office (US), then you might remember one of Dwight’s more unique antics from later in the show.
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As a descendant of the Pennsylvania Dutch, Dwight unveils one of his storied holiday family traditions to the crew: dressing up as a naughty, slightly aggressive assistant to Santa named Belsnickel.
As Belsnickel, Dwight dispenses fertile soil or whippings to his colleagues. This mythic creature from folklore originates in Germany’s Odenwald region but survives today via the Pennsylvania Dutch in the US and a few Brazilian-German communities in South America.
He gives gifts or punishments depending on whether someone has been, in Dwight’s words, ‘impish or admirable’ throughout the year.
For years, I assumed Belsnickel was some dumbed-down version of the true Christmas terror from across the Atlantic: Krampus.
Ringing any bells? You might know Krampus based on the 2015 horror-comedy titled after the Christmas Beast Himself. He’s a notorious figure native to the European Alps who’s known for wandering the hills on St. Nicholas Day and silencing naughty children with jump-scares and birch rods.
He’s horned, he’s angry, and every year, hundreds of men embody this horrifying creature to run through town to spread some good old-fashioned holiday terror.
Viewed in this way, Krampus is sort of like the Grinch… except faster, angrier, and dirtier.
Which parts of Europe does Krampus roam?
Let’s review this one more time: Krampus is an anthropomorphic beast that usually wears horns and furs.
And he’s not roaming wild on St. Nicholas night—he actually works alongside St. Nicholas to punish the children who behaved badly throughout the year. (Above, you can see him dutifully assisting St. Nich.)
Krampus is a well-known quantity throughout the European Alps, including Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Slovenia. (I’m sure there are more central European countries where he’s familiar, too.)
Some social scientists believe that the beast originates in pagan practice from these regions; others believe he came to embody Christian versions of the devil.
What we know is this: Around the 1600s, Krampus started working alongside St. Nicholas. It looks like religious authorities decided it was a bad look for St. Nich to punish children himself, which is when Krampus began to transform from a wild beast into one of St. Nich’s helpers.
Today, Krampus is largely viewed as a secular and cultural being—one that comes with many beloved (and frankly surprising) holiday traditions. In fact, it’s a holiday tradition that’s undergoing a mass revival across the Alpine region.
What kinds of festivities can you celebrate in the name of Krampus?
The holiday season brings with it the darkly shroud of Krampus-themed activities. Most activities are scheduled around the Feast of St. Nicholas, which comes on December 5.
There are two main forms of celebrations: Krampusnacht (Krampus Night) and Krampuslauf (Krampus Run).
Krampus Night usually involves festivities in which people dress up as St. Nicholas and Krampus, then parade through the town to give gifts to good children and punish bad children.
Krampus, obviously, is responsible for doling out coal or whippings. This celebration is closely tied to Catholic Christmas activities, though it includes many secular participants.
That’s not the case with the Krampus Run. This is a newer celebration that harkens back to the possibly pagan origins of the creature (the Germanic perchten). This festival and procession includes dozens of people dressed like the beast—who are usually competing to scare the onlookers.
Think of it like a cultural haunted house blended with a parade. Every city and township has a different approach to the Krampus Run—and some areas are actually cracking down because previous runs have become too chaotic and dangerous.
Ready to run for your life?
Here are the biggest and baddest Krampus Runs around Europe:
- Salzburg Run (Salzburg, Austria)
- Innsbruck Run (Innsbruck, Austria)
- Seefeld Run (Seefeld, Austria)
- Munich Run (Munich, Germany)
- Lienz Run (Lienz, Austria)
