Christmas is not just
a time of joy, gifts, and goodwill, it’s also a season of dark myths and
legends.
In the olden days gone by in Finland, they believed in
Joulupukki. That word means Yule buck.
In December, pagan people had big festivals to ward
off the Joulupukki. These
spirits of darkness wore goat skins and horns. In the beginning this creature
didn't give presents but demanded them. It was an ugly creature
and frightened children. It is unclear how this personality was transformed
into the benevolent Father Christmas. Nowadays the only remaining feature is
the name. The process was probably a continuous amalgamation of many old folk
customs and beliefs from varied sources. One can speak of a Christmas pageant
tradition consisting of many personages with roles partly Christian, partly
pagan: A white-bearded saint, the Devil, demons, and house gnomes. Nowadays the
Joulupukki of Finland
resembles the American Santa Claus. While most gift givers around the world deliver their
presents in the middle of the night while everyone is sleeping, children in Finland get to
see Joulupukki in the act of delivering the presents.
This reminds me of Black Peter and the
Krampus, both being Santa’s “evil twin.” In many areas of the world, it is said
that St. Nicholas has a companion. This companion is Krampus, though another
version is Black Peter, or Zarte Piet or Zwarte Piet. Black Peter is associated
with the Netherlands
and has dark skin. Krampus isn't a man though. He has horns, goat hair, hooves,
and claws. Just like a demon. His job is to accompany St. Nicholas and to warn
and punish bad children. He is said to carry a basket on his back where he will
place the bad children and take them to Hell to be tossed into the pit. It puts
a frightening twist on “have you been naughty or nice!”
Krampus originates from
Krampen--meaning claw. Krampus is the dark companion of St. Nicholas, the
traditional European winter gift-bringer. This fiendish being is usually seen
as a classic devil with horns, cloven hooves and monstrous tongue. Unlike American children who get coal if they’re bad, instead the Krampus beats them savagely for their
misdeeds and then drag them down to hell. Born of a pre-Christian, Alpine Pagan tradition, he is
identified by matted-black hair, along tongue that snakes out of his maw, and
cloven hooves. He also sports a large wicker basket on his back, filled to the
brim with thorny, unbreakable birch sticks for those beatings he delivers. He always comes with St. Nick who brings presents, but
before the gifts are handed out, those who are bad is given what they
"deserve" by him. Also, taking part in this Krampus legend, are young men that dress up in goat skins and masks they spent
two weeks making and on December 5th, head out to scare all, and carry out
"birching," mainly on young girls. Krampus makes the Grinch before his heart went several sizes bigger look good!
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