It’s become a tradition in this newsletter to discuss a holiday entity other than Santa each December. The world has quite a few – we haven’t even gotten through them all yet!
This year, we’re talking about the Belsnickel.
Like Krampus, Belsnickel is a judgmental counterpart to Old Saint Nick. Like Zwarte Piet, his face is soot-stained and grouchy. But Belsnickel isn’t a copy of these sinister companions; he’s his own creature.
Belsnickel is basically an angry Hagrid – oversized, dressed in furs, huge beard, grim temperament. Belsnickel carries a switch for naughty children, though sometimes brings good children gifts, thereby acting in both capacities. He can even appear on his own without a white-bearded jolly toymaker in tow. Hence the ‘two-in-one’ label applied in the title.
(I get an ‘upstaging everybody’ vibe here.)
It’s arguable who had these elements first. Who’s copying whom. The legends are old, and when you have centuries to travel, moving between peoples across Europe isn’t so hard.
Where Belsnickel Came From
Belsnickel’s folklore appears to originate in northern Germany. He goes back far – easily to pre-Christian days, as a representation of old nature spirits.
(Either that or a grumpy hermit wandered out of the forest one day and spooked enough people to start a legend.)
There’s also the story of Knect Ruprecht. This is an old tale from the same region, speaking of a horned man or dark elf who aids St. Nicholas, punishing bad children. For whatever reason, Ruprecht seemed to fall out of common parlance some time in the 17th century, replaced by another figure with similar attire & attitude – Belsnickel.
Why? No one could say. Maybe all of these Yuletide figures decided to have a meetup. They had some eggnog, argued over licensing, and somebody never left.
Belsnickel’s Influence – Farther Than You Might Think
The Belsnickel legend has a unique characteristic – an influence other Yuletide legends don’t have. According to some accounts in Europe, people would often adopt an old Irish tradition when Belsnickel’s time of year came around. They would go “Belsnickling.”
Groups of people (often a few young men with a drink or two in them) would dress up in furs and wear masks. They would go through town knocking on doors. They might sing, do a dance, or play a guessing game. If you could guess who they were, you gave them a prize – an apple, a drink, nuts, etc.
So you’d have people dressing up, wearing masks, going door-to-door getting treats. Sound familiar?
That’s right, we have a case of a Christmas tradition influencing Halloween!
Belsnickel Today
Belsnickel fell out of the zeitgeist around the time of the World Wars. But more recently he’s returned to the public consciousness. German towns and Pennsylvania communities (with a lot of German heritage) revived him through reenactments and entertainment.
Nowadays there are ‘Belsnickel Runs’ in some parts of Germany. (I am biased, but that definitely sounds Krampus Run copycatters.)
Belsnickel is even online too. You can find him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernbelsnickel/
Belsnickel Reminds Us to Celebrate – and to Watch Our Behavior!
Much of my research focused on Belsnickel as the ‘darker half’ of Christmas tradition. I think he’s a little broader than that. Like Krampus, he has gained more character with time. He’s a reminder that Winter is a time of reflection and celebration, justice and mercy. Light and dark.
That sounds like a pretty well-rounded nature, don’t you think?
No pun intended, Belsnickel. It’s a compliment – I don’t want lashes with a switch already!
Sources:
https://allthatsinteresting.com/belsnickel
https://germangirlinamerica.com/belsnickel-a-pennsylvania-german-christmas-tradition/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belsnickel