Krampus Legends: Krampuslauf Salzburg, Austria

Krampus Legends: Krampuslauf Salzburg, Austria

Krampus

December sees much of the Western world turn to merry traditions depicting typical Christmas cheer, whilst other parts of Central and Eastern Europe prepare for far darker traditions featuring a demonic counterpart to the jolly Saint Nick. Krampus is fast becoming a frightening new tradition for people all around the world. But, who is this Christmas Devil? What are the origins and legends of Krampus? How can one celebrate?

Krampus beast in Salzburg.
Close up of a typical Krampus beast.

To describe Krampus is to describe the complete opposite of Saint Nicholas. A typical description of Krampus involves a part goat, part demon, beast-like creature. His existence is purely to drive good behavior from children using scare tactics. It therefore, comes as no surprise that Krampus is intimidating – covered in fur and sporting hooves, horns, fangs and claws. He typically wears chains, bells and sometimes a wicker basket or sack upon his back. Aiding in the snatching of naughty children. To accompany these accessories, he also holds whips or bundled birch sticks, helpful to dish out painful lashings.

Krampus looking for naughty children.
Krampus on the prowl looking for naughty children.

The Legend of Krampus

The legends of Krampus have spread throughout regions of Germany and Austria since pre-Christian times. Folklore and related legends also span throughout neighboring countries. These include the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and some parts of Northern Italy.

Krampus mask.
Krampus mask during a Krampuslauf in Salzburg, Austria.

Each year on December 5, Krampus comes forward to make an appearance. This is known as Krampusnacht, translating to Krampus Night. During this night, Krampus reveals his determination for punishing naughty children. He will patrol the streets, family homes and even local businesses. Here he will find children, whipping them and sometimes capturing them. Naughty children are whisked away by Krampus in the basket he carries on his back only to meet a scary and undesirable fate. They are either drowned in a river, eaten by Krampus or dragged down to hell – a very dark contrast to the presents that good children receive from Saint Nicholas.

Salzburg, Austria Krampus Run.
Krampus Run in Salzburg, Austria 2018.

Krampuslauf Austria

Though Krampus is an old legend and was banned for some time during WWII, it continues to be celebrated today.

Wooden Krampus masks.
Homemade masks being worn by participants in the Krampus Run.

A Krampuslauf, translating to Krampus Run, is the typical means of celebration for this macabre Christmas legend. These events take place from late November through to early December.

 

Krampus the anti-Santa.
Glowing eyes of the demonic anti-Santa, Krampus.

 

A Krampuslauf will usually consist of a number of groups who have created elaborate costumes to parade. These men, women and even children will congregate within a section of designated street to show off, parade and scare children, whilst wearing their Krampus costumes. The parades usually go hand in hand with other festivities including selling of traditional food/drink and Krampus greeting cards.

Krampus on parade.
Intimidating Krampus during a Christmas parade.

The pictures taken in this article were from one of the Salzburg Krampuslauf in 2018.

Visiting Salzburg for Krampus Festivities

I highly recommend visiting Salzburg during early December. It is a fantastic location to become engrossed with traditional Krampus festivities. There are multiple runs which occur on Krampusnacht and its surrounding dates all throughout the region. Furthermore, the Christmas market and Christmas Museum in Salzburg city center are worth exploring.

Krampus mask up close.
Close up of a detailed Krampus mask.

Major cities connected to Salzburg via train, making transport easy. It has plenty of accommodation options. It is probably a good idea to book ahead of time if you’d like to find cheap places to stay.

Krampus attack in Salzburg, Austria.
Being attacked by a Krampus in Salzburg, Austria.

If you enjoyed this article and are looking for other unique places to visit in Austria, I recommend visiting the Nameless Cemetery in Vienna.

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

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Comments (4)

  • Adrian Molina

    Posted by Adrian Molina on October 17, 2019

    Can you help me get in touch with the makers of the costume. I’d like to buy a real one. If you can help thank you.

      Amy

      Posted by Amy on October 19, 2019

      Hi Adrian. Thanks for this question. I was not in direct contact with anyone who made or sold these costumes. I think your best bet would be to contact some of the Krampuslauf groups directly. To find contact information for these groups I would start with the Salzburg tourist information center and see if they have any leads or just run a quick Google search. Good luck.

  • william sellar

    Posted by william sellar on December 26, 2020

    Merry christmas from Glasgow Scotland 😃

      Amy

      Posted by Amy on December 27, 2020

      Merry Cryptmas, William!

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