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I am a Third Order Franciscan of the Province of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Signs of the Advent Apocalypse - Part 2



Now this is a festival that might have some possibilities for the Bearded Seraph. The pictures are of a Krampus - one of the companions of Saint Nicholas.

According to Wikipedia -

Often the subject of winter poems and tales, the Companions travel with St. Nicholas or his various equivalents (Father Christmas, Santa Claus), carrying with them a rod (sometimes a stick, bundle of switches or a whip, and in modern times often a broom) and a sack. They are sometimes dressed in black rags, bearing a black face and unruly black hair. In many contemporary portrayals the companions look like dark, sinister, or rustic versions of Nicholas himself, with a similar costume but with a darker color scheme.

Some of the companions take on more monstrous forms. Krampus and Klaubauf are variously depicted as horned, shaggy, bestial, or demonic. In many depictions the Krampus looks like popular images of the Devil, complete with red skin, cloven hooves, and short horns. It is unclear whether the various companions of St. Nicholas are all expressions of a single tradition (likely Knecht Ruprecht), or a conflation of multiple traditions. Various texts, especially those outside the tradition, often treat the companions as variations on a single Knecht Ruprecht tradition.

According to tradition, the Krampus' job is to punish bad children and/or give them an "incentive" to behave before Christmas. How much better than just a simple, "You'll shoot your eye out!"

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Holy Jumpin' Moses!

Are you sure Ann Rice didn't have something to do with that?

Of course, they do start putting Christmas decorations out with the Halloween stuff, so I suppose its only a matter of time before we see a Krupas tree topper.

11:52 PM  

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