This lovely bit of dance and music is, I assume, in celebration of Krampusnacht (Krampus Night). But it could be a Halloween celebration. Whatever, enjoy the video, then read what I wrote about December 5, Krampusnacht.
Wikipedia says Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic half-goat, half-demon creature who punishes children who misbehave, in contrast to St. Nicholas, who rewards well-behaved children with gifts. I find the Central European folklore of Krampus fascinating, though developments in recent years, turning the menacing figure of Krampus cuter and less frightening, goes against the grain as far as I am concerned.
Krampusnacht is “celebrated” in various (mostly) Central European countries on December 5, the night before the Feast of St. Nicholas. I assume the dance shown in the video above was from a December 5 celebration, but that’s an unverified assumption.
Speaking, as I was, of Wikipedia, despite the fact that the resource can be hijacked by people who either mistakenly or intentionally post erroneous information, I find Wikipedia invaluable. For that reason, I donated $20.80 (the 80¢ to cover credit card processing costs) to help defray the costs of keeping the site operating.
The film, Krampus, is a Christmas horror story (I guess I’d classify it that way), produced in 2015. It is available to rent for $3.99 on Amazon Prime Video. I may splurge and watch it tonight. Anyone want to join me? My treat.
