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.…
Gryla. If I said that name on an American street corner, nobody would bat an eye. If I said it on the streets of Reykjavik, Iceland? Someone would hastily cross the street and give me a nervous glare. On the island-nation of Iceland, Gryla is as nasty a Christmas entity…
How’s this for a name? Yes, we’re talking about “Zwarte Piet” today. That is an actual name for an actual legend. He’s a companion for St. Nicholas, like Krampus, but in different countries than where you’d find Krampus. Zwarte Piet shows up in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and surprisingly, Indonesia. (Old…
The Ancient Traditions that Somehow Combined (Voltron-Style) into Modern-Day Christmas Few things are more hilarious than misinterpretation. And you know one thing we love to misinterpret? The holidays! Christmas wasn’t always a giant commercial-fest loaded with toys, high-powered lights, and furious sale-hunting. It’s only the latest incarnation of a long,…
Hello there, all you naughty children. This is Krampus, the Dark Spirit of Winter, St. Nicholas’ vengeful counterpart. So, you want to ask me a few questions, is that it? Be prepared, for the truth…is cold. “Are you the devil?” What, like Satan? No way. He can’t take the cold.…
It’s time for a few thoughts on Krampus. You probably hear the name in December, if not before. Krampus is what I’d call an ‘evolved deity’ – a combination of several folk legends, melded into one stronger, more cohesive whole. An amalgam of ideas given immortal flesh. In case you…
