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Krampusnacht

Guitar's Cry

Disciple of Pan
No they simply aren't festivals about the figures.
The figures accompany the Nicholas celebrations.

Aha! I see! That makes sense.

Part of my interest is in how figures such as Krampus, having possible pre-Christian origins, persist in culture. Nicholas, of course, is a Christian transplant.

I can understand your frustration at how Krampus appears to have been appropriated outside its own culture; especially since the recent interest appears fueled by the movies depicting him. I personally see something positive in it: the survival of an ancient myth.

You are really testing my patience. Is that on purpose?
Vienna is not all of Austria. Salzburg is not all of Austria.

Not purposely. I am genuinely interested and the nature of the forum is to debate and discuss.

Whether or not the term is widespread, it does seem the term is used, yes?

And yes the stuff in the bigger cities is quite literally for tourists.

This is an article that mentions a similar event in Gresten, which appears to be a small village: Santa's evil sidekick? Who knew?

"Friedrich, who says Krampus is scary because people can’t communicate with a mask, doesn’t get much of a hearing in the traditionalist towns of Lower Austria and the Salzburg and Tyrol regions that hold the most elaborate Krampus processions.

In Gresten, 3,000 people, including many children, packed the kerbs of Dorfstrasse one recent night to await his coming."

The "Friedrich" referenced is a prominent enough psychologist to have a Wikipedia article about him: Max Friedrich – Wikipedia

So it strikes me that if this is simply a tourist ploy, it seems to be more widespread than you are suggesting.

This isn't meant to annoy you. It just appears, to an outsider, that your reports aren't matching up with what I am finding online, and not just in tourist websites.

This suggests to me that The Hammer's post isn't necessarily inaccurate about this cultural phenomenon and also that you aren't necessarily incorrect about it being used as a ploy for tourism which tells me the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Certainly Krampus events occur and not just as touristy gimmicks, and while it might be appropriated by folks in non-Alpine regions, it doesn't appear to be done in any malicious form, such as how us Americans tend to misappropriate Indigenous cultural elements.
 
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