Picture the scene: it’s the early hours of 6 December, and a boy sleeps soundly in his bed. There’s a pair of shoes placed neatly at the end, ready for kind St Nikolaus to fill with gifts. But all of a sudden, a hairy figure springs out of the shadows.

Half-man and half-beast, huge horns protrude from his forehead and his long, red tongue lolls out in delight. Reaching down for the boy, he scoops him out of bed, spanks him with birch twigs and throws him into the wooden pail strapped on his back. The boy screams in terror as the devil-man carts him off to hell.

Forget the Grinch and Scrooge – there’s an older, scarier Christmas villain. According to European legend, the Krampus was St Nikolaus’ servant who was sent to terrorise naughty children. If they were lucky they only got a beating but, if they were very, very bad, they’d be cast into flames.

The origins of the myth are sketchy, though some say it dates back to pre-Christian times. The custom of dressing up as the demon-helper was banned during the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, because no-one was allowed to impersonate a satanic figure.

The Krampus gained popularity again at the end of the 19th century and into the 20th, when he began appearing on postcards. They depict the Krampus restraining children with chains, wielding a pitchfork, working people with strings as if they were puppets or flogging them with birch switches (whips made of twigs). Many display greetings, such as “Grüss Von Krampus” (Greetings From Krampus) or “Brav Sein”, which translates as “Be Good”.

The best of the bunch have been collected together in The Devil In Design: The Krampus Postcards, by Monte Beauchamp. He thinks the appeal of the myth lies in its countries’ literature. “When the character was first introduced to Europe, it was kindred in spirit to their children’s books,” he says. “In Der Struwwelpeter, for example – the book is chock full of wicked little ones being punished for their bad deeds.”

In some of the postcards, it appears as if the children are taking revenge on the Krampus. In one, a girl holds a switch above a chained demon – but things aren’t always as they seem. “Some cards feature a Krampus decoration, not the actual character,” Monte explains. “In addition to postcards, the Europeans also hand-crafted Krampus candy containers and statuettes.”

Similarly, some postcards appear to have sexual undertones, as women look in thrall to the Krampus – swooning, or being held by their hair. But Monte’s not convinced this was their purpose. “Some of these cards are of Russian origin, so perhaps that artist was loaded on vodka,” he laughs.

“In the card of Krampus yanking the woman by the hair, he’s actually exposing her to the flames of hell, hoping she’ll turn from her wayward ways. In the 1960s, a slew of girlie-styled cards featuring the character did appear, but this was long after the glory days of Krampus were over.”

Sadly the Krampus now remains largely unknown outside mainland Europe, due to the popular Christmas trappings of Santa and stockings. “American businessmen hijacked St Nikolaus from the Europeans and gave him a major makeover, primarily to sell merchandise during the Christmas season,” Monte explains. “The sales folk left the concept of Krampus swatting bad kids with his switch far behind.”

But Krampus hasn’t been forgotten everywhere. He lives on in the terrifying Austrian festival called Krampuslauf, or ‘the running of the Krampus’. On the eve of St Nikolaus, the men paint their faces, pull on horns and rampage through the streets.

Many people spend hours making intricate costumes, which could include wooden masks, goats hair or sheepskin, or even modern twists such as LED eyes and gory, Halloween-style make-up. Some partygoers even wear mismatched shoes to represent the Krampus’ single cloven hoof.

The rattling of chains and clanging of bells fills the night air, as the Krampuses create chaos and lash out at passers-by with their threatening birch switches. Behind all the madness, a figure of St Nik usually follows, clad in a bishop’s robe and holding a staff, handing out gifts and well wishes.

The Krampuslauf tradition has rattled a few cages in its time. Back in the 1950s, a pamphlet titled Krampus Is An Evil Man was distributed and in more recent times there’s been concern about drunken twentysomethings getting out of control.

But one thing’s for certain, you wouldn’t want to meet the real Krampus on a dark night… so you’d better behave!

The Devil In Design: The Krampus Postcards is out now from Fantagraphics books, £13.99

POO! PICKLES! RACISM!

Other weird Christmas traditions from around the world

Black Peter
Every year in the Netherlands, huge, televised parades are held for the arrival of fourth century bishop Sinta Klaus and his dark-skinned ‘helper’ Zwarte Piet, AKA Black Peter. The legend has 19th century origins and Black Peter was originally Sinta Klaus’ slave but, in the 1950s, an increased cultural sensitivity led to the character being ‘re-imagined’. Now, Black Peter’s black ‘paint’ is explained away as chimney soot he’s picked up while delivering presents. You can buy Black Peter balloons, chocolates and soft toys but many still condemn him as a racist character from the Netherlands’ colonial past.

The Caganer
Hidden away in nativity scenes in Catalonia, there lurks a strange figure – a pooing man. The statue is called a caganer, meaning – literally – ‘to defecate’. Dressed in a peasant costume with a red and black hat, the caganer was meant to be a symbol of fertilisation and prosperity. Nowadays, you can  find other crapping characters, such as nuns, devils, or Santa, plus a host of celebrities including  Barack Obama and Gordon Brown. The caganer  is tolerated by the Catholic church, and seen as  a great Catalan tradition by locals. In fact, there was a public uproar in 2005 when Barcelona city council commissioned a nativity scene without one.

The Christmas Pickle
The Christmas pickle custom is hotly disputed. The story goes that every year German families hang an ornamental glass pickle on their trees, and the child who finds it is rewarded with a gift from St Nikolaus. But some say the custom was just invented for the American market. One story tells of a town called Lauscha that was known for glass-blowing, where craftsmen made ornaments in the shape of fruit, nuts and vegetables during the mid-19th century, to be exported to Europe and the USA. Sceptics say they’re just to appease tourists. One thing’s for sure – you won’t want to eat them!

The Mari Lwyd
The Mari Lwyd (Grey Mare) is the name of  a horse figurine, which is traditionally carried door-to-door by carol singers in Wales. It’s made from a mare’s skull fixed to a stick, and sheets are attached to the bottom of the skull to hide the person carrying it. Sometimes the jaw  is spring-loaded, so it can be snapped at people. The group ask permission to sing and enter  a house, then get involved in a pwnco – a debate of insults between one of the singers and an opponent in the house. If the group member wins, the singers are invited into the house to eat, drink and perhaps receive a gift of money.

The Pooing Log
Another Catalan tradition (see the caganer), the Tió de Nadal is a smiley-faced Christmas log that craps out gifts. Each household takes a hollowed-out log and ‘feeds’ it little presents such as figs, nuts and sweets, beginning from 8 December, on the Feast Of The Immaculate Conception. Every night it needs to be covered with a blanket so it’ll stay warm. Then, on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, the log is told to shit. To make him poo, he’s hit with  a stick while songs are sung. When everything’s come out, the log drops a salt herring, garlic or  an onion. Recently the log has been given stick legs and a smiley face on one end and a little red hat.

The Yule lads
The Yule Lads are Iceland’s equivalent of Santa, and leave pressies in nice children’s shoes. The legend says they live in the mountains with their troll parents Gryla and Leppalúi. But beginning on 12 December, they travel one by one to the town. They used to have a mischievous reputation for playing pranks on people, but now each one leaves a present on the day they arrive. But naughty kids beware; the Lad might leave you a rotten potato! During Christmas celebrations, people often dress up as Yule Lads and give out presents. Then the lads leave town one by one, beginning on 26 December.

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