The Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure in Central and Eastern Alpine folklore who, during the Christmas season, scares children who have misbehaved. Assisting Saint Nicholas, the pair visit children on the night of 5 December, with Saint Nicholas rewarding the well-behaved children with modest gifts such as oranges, dried fruit, walnuts and chocolate, while the badly behaved ones only receive punishment from Krampus with birch rods.
In modern times, Krampusnacht has become a celebratory festival where Krampus appears in town squares and holiday markets for entertainment purposes, and Pittsburgh gets into the fun with its own Krampusnacht festivities, aptly named Krampus Fest, in Market Square.
During this parade, almost everyone who was in the square waiting for the concert ran out to the fringes to catch a view, and it was pretty easy to simply watch the direction they were going and run ahead to get a great spot.
The parade was something that I did not expect to happen and amounted to anyone and everyone who dressed up as Krampus taking a short march around half of Market Square. The parade started from behind the stage and worked its way around half of Market Square in a counter-clockwise direction. First, they walked through the Christmas shops in the northeast corner of Market Square then went out onto the street looping around the western side (Market Exchange and City Works), and returned to the stage on the southern side .
A more modern tradition in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic sees drunk men dress up as devils, who take over the streets for a Krampuslauf—a Krampus parade of sorts, when they get chased through the streets by “devils.”
But the history of the Krampus figure has nothing to do with Christmas, and is thought to stretch back to Pre-Christian Alpine traditions, with some suggesting his origins are based on witchcraft and paganism. His name is derived from the German word krampen, meaning claw, and he is said to be the son of Hel in Norse mythology. Krampus also shares characteristics with other scary, demonic creatures in Greek mythology, including satyrs and fauns.
Appearance
Krampus carries chains, thought to symbolize the binding of the Devil by the Christian Church. He thrashes the chains for dramatic effect. The chains are sometimes accompanied with bells of various sizes. Of more pagan origins are the Ruten, bundles of birch branches that Krampus carries and with which he occasionally swats children.The Ruten may have had significance in pre-Christian pagan initiation rites. The birch branches are replaced with a whip in some representations. Sometimes Krampus appears with a sack or a basket strapped to his back; this is to cart off evil children for drowning, eating, or transport to Hell. Some of the older versions make mention of naughty children being put in the bag and taken away.This quality can be found in other companions of Saint Nicholas such as Zwarte Piet.