Krampus is the dark companion of St. Nicholas, the traditional European winter gift-bringer who rewards good children each year on December 6. The kindly old Saint leaves the task of punishing bad children to a hell-bound counterpart known by many names across the continent - Knecht Ruprecht, Certa, Perchten, Black Peter, Schmutzli, Pelznickel, Klaubauf, and Krampus. Usually seen as a classic devil with horns, cloven hooves and monstrous tongue, but can also be spotted as a sinister gentleman dressed in black, or a hairy man-beast. Krampus punishes the naughty children, swatting them with switches and rusty chains before dragging them, in baskets, to a fiery place below.
The European practice of mummery during the winter solstice season can be traced back tens of thousands of years. Villagers across the continent dress up as animals, wild-men and mythic figures to parade and perform humorous plays. This ancient guising and masking tradition continues to this day as the primary source for our modern Halloween with its costumes, trick-or-treat, and pagan symbolism. Among the most common figures in these folk rituals were Old Man Winter and the horned Goat-Man. Archetypes now found in the forms of Saint Nick or Santa Claus, and the Devil Krampus.
Krampus is celebrated on Krampusnacht, which takes place on the
eve of St. Nicholas’ Day. In Austria, Northern Italy and other parts of
Europe, party-goers masquerade as devils, wild-men, and witches to
participate in Krampuslauf, Krampus Run. Intoxicated and bearing
torches, costumed devils caper and carouse through the streets
terrifying child and adult alike. 
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