oh baby, it's cold outside

[topaz]

Thanks to keyne for this account of traditional holiday cheer from the Alps: Beware the Christmas Krampus.

The name Krampus comes from the Old High German word for claw, apparently referring to just one of this being’s scary attributes. Other less-than-friendly features include a long, long tongue, shaggy black hair/fur, goat's head with horns, and cloven feet. ... The town of Schladminger is home to a sort of Krampus convention, with more than a thousand goat-men roaming the town's streets, harassing the town's young women.

I know you're all thinking what I'm thinking: ROAD TRIP!

Comments

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

Actually, my eyes glazed over as I was reading it because I was imagining that Krampus was also related to krampouezh, the breton word for 'crepes' (since they are Breton thankyouverymuch), and wondering about claws and crepes, and crab crepes? Crab Christmas crepes? and then my eyes fell on "ROAD TRIP!" and I thought, "YEAH! Wait, what?"

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

Krampus is also supposed to have a tongue which extends down past his clavicle, and the sexual innuendo associated with that should be obvious.

However, if the young women of Schladminger are being truly harassed, I'm afraid I can't get behind that.

[nacht_musik]

I have a White Stripes shirt that features a pair of children dressed up as St. Nicholas and either the Krampus or Knecht Ruprecht on it. When I was trying to figure out who they were supposed to be, I ran across descriptions of this very Krampus festival.
So bizarre.

[innerdoggie.livejournal.com]

That's interesting! Do you think your children would enjoy being frightened by 1000 Krampus-impersonators? Might be worth a special trip.

I knew about "Black Peter", the companion of St. Nicholas in the Netherlands, who is an African, a Turk, or a "Moor" (that one gives you a multi-religious Christmas, huh?) and who is there to chastise the naughty.

[jss]

Not all of us.

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I forgot that a town full of men covered in shaggy black hair and with slavering tongues down to their ankles wouldn't be your cup of tea!

[jss]

I was more concerned about "harassing the town's young women" not being my cup of tea, but if you want to harass women, I'll get out of your way (and sell tickets for the lynching you're gonna get).

[yagagriswold.livejournal.com]

a long, long tongue, shaggy black hair

Sound like friendly features to me!

[keyne.livejournal.com]

Do I know you?