traditions

In European folklore, Krampus is the antithesis of Santa Claus. The equivalent of a Christmas Devil, Krampus is a horrific beast that hunted down misbehaving children and whipped or terrified them into submission. Originally an ancient pagan tradition, Krampus was coopted into the story of Saint Nicholas. Since then, he has been rallied against by medieval clergymen and repressed by nationalists only to be revived in an era of mass consumerism. Today, practitioners are worried about how the influx of refugees will respond to the terrifying Christmas Devil. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"101946","attributes":{"alt":"The Krampus of German-speaking folklore is a horned Christmas Devil who punishes naughty children. (Public domain)","class":"media-image","height":"630","style":"width: 413px; height: 630px;","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"413"}}]] The Krampus of German-speaking folklore is a horned Christmas Devil who punishes naughty