Krampus Greeting Cards

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Greeting cards, in general, are linked socially, economically and politically to the culture, period and place of their origin and use. “Sentiments and designs that may seem unusual today were often considered signs of good fortune, while others poked fun at superstitions,” says Bradbeer. For over a century, most Americans probably never saw a Krampus card or even knew who Krampus was. That changed in 2004, when art director and graphic designer Monte Beauchamp published a book of Krampus cards and helped organize an art show inspired by the cards. Williams, Victoria (2016). Celebrating Life Customs around the World: From Baby Showers to Funerals. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p.222. ISBN 978-1-4408-3659-6– via Google Books. Perchta– German Alpine goddess, a female figure in West Germanic folklore whose procession ( Perchtenlauf) occurs during the midwinter period

Europeans have been exchanging greeting cards featuring Krampus since the 19th century. [29] Sometimes introduced with Gruß vom Krampus (Greetings from Krampus), the cards usually have humorous rhymes and poems. Krampus is often featured looming menacingly over children. He is also shown as having one human foot and one cloven hoof. In some, Krampus has sexual overtones; he is pictured pursuing buxom women. [30] Over time, the representation of Krampus in the cards has changed; older versions have a more frightening Krampus, while modern versions have a cuter, more Cupid-like creature. [ citation needed] Krampus has also adorned postcards and candy containers. [31] Regional variation [ edit ] Folk customs influenced the design of many Victorian Christmas cards. In British folklore, for example, robins and wrens are considered sacred species. John Grossman, author of Christmas Curiosities: Old, Dark and Forgotten Christmas, writes that images of these dead birds on Christmas cards may have been “bound to elicit Victorian sympathy and may reference common stories of poor children freezing to death at Christmas.” a b c d e f g h Bruce, Maurice (March 1958). "The Krampus in Styria". Folklore. 69 (1): 44–47. doi: 10.1080/0015587X.1958.9717121.Crimmins, Peter (15 December 2011). "Horror For The Holidays: Meet The Anti-Santa". NPR . Retrieved 25 November 2015. In Styria, the Rute is presented by Krampus to families. The twigs are painted gold and displayed year-round in the house—a reminder to any child who has temporarily forgotten Krampus. In smaller, more isolated villages, the figure has other beastly companions, such as the antlered "wild man" figures, and St Nicholas is nowhere to be seen. These Styrian companions of Krampus are called Schabmänner or Rauhen. [20] The character of Krampus has been imported and modified for various North American media, [22] [40] including print (e.g. Krampus: The Devil of Christmas, a collection of vintage postcards by Monte Beauchamp in 2004; [41] [29] Krampus: The Yule Lord, a 2012 novel by Gerald Brom [42]); Krampus, a comic series from Image Comics in 2013 created by Dean Kotz and Brian Joines, television – both live action (" A Krampus Carol", a 2012 episode of The League [40]) and animation (" A Very Venture Christmas", a 2004 episode of The Venture Bros., [22] " Minstrel Krampus", a 2013 episode of American Dad! [43])–video games ( CarnEvil, a 1998 arcade game, [44] The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, a 2014 video game [45]), and film ( Krampus, a 2015 Christmas comedy horror movie from Universal Pictures [46]). The introduction of mass visual media couldn’t help but sweep the charismatic Krampus up in its wave. When the postcard industry experienced a boom in Germany and Austria in the 1890s, it opened the way for Krampuskarten.

The figure has been imported into American popular culture, and has appeared in movies, TV and video games. Schubladen, Hans (1983–1984). "Zur Geschichte von Perchtenbräuchen im Berchtesgadener Land, in Tirol und Salzburg vom 16. bis zum 19. Jahrhundert. Grundlagen zur Analyse heutigen Traditionsverständnisses" [On the history of Perchten customs in the Berchtesgadener Land, in Tyrol and Salzburg from the 16th to the 19th century. Basics for the analysis of today's understanding of tradition]. Bayerische Hefte für Volkskunde[ Bavarian issues for folklore] (in German): 1–29. Krampus appears in the folklore of Austria, Bavaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Northern Italy ( Autonomous Province of Trento and South Tyrol), Slovakia, and Slovenia. [32] Krampusnacht is celebrated every year on December 5, the night before the celebration of the Feast of St. Nicholas. This holiday is mostly celebrated in Germany, Austria, Croatia, and some other European countries. It is also popular in Australia, and over the years, Krampusnacht’s popularity has grown in North America as well.

Greetings from Krampus

Krampus is thought to come from either Bavarian: krampn, meaning "dead", "rotten", or from the German: kramp/krampen, meaning "claw". [5] [6] [7] The Krampus is considered to be a half-goat, half-demon monster in some legends. [8] Its role is to punish bad children or scare them into being good. [9] [10] Origins [ edit ] A person dressed as Krampus at Morzger Pass, Salzburg, Austria

The origin of the figure is unclear; some folklorists and anthropologists have postulated it as having pre-Christian origins. [2] In traditional parades and in such events as the Krampuslauf (English: Krampus run), young men dressed as Krampus attempt to scare the audience with their antics. [3] Such events occur annually in most Alpine towns. [4] Krampus is featured on holiday greeting cards called Krampuskarten. Crimmins, Peter (10 December 2011). "Horror for the Holidays: Meet the Anti-Santa". National Public Radio.

Krampus nije baš tako loš kao što se čini, on samo opominje"[Krampus isn't as bad as he seems, he just warns]. www.24sata.hr (in Croatian). 6 December 2014. If you haven’t heard of Krampus, the demon-like half-goat of Austrian folklore, then you haven’t been paying attention. The scary counterpart to St. Nicholas—Krampus punishes naughty children by beating them or dragging them to his lair, or even to hell—has already appeared on the Colbert Report, starred in a comic book, and inspired parties and parades across the U.S. He’s even the subject of a feature film (though he’s also appeared in multiple low-budget movies). Morality and a strict code of social conduct embodied the time period of Queen Victoria’s reign (1837-1901), but the Victorians still had their fair share of questionable practices. They thought nothing of posing with the dead or robbing graves and selling the bodies. Their holiday customs evolved with just as much curiosity. Clowns, insects and even the Devil himself had a place in early holiday fanfare. Soon after his first book came out, Beauchamp got a call from a gallery director in Santa Monica, California, who wanted to coordinate an exhibit of artistic interpretations of Krampus cards. In the 19th century, before festive Christmas cards became the norm, Victorians put a darkly humorous and twisted spin on their seasonal greetings.Some of the more popular subjects included anthropomorphic frogs, bloodthirsty snowmen and dead birds.

The Krampus of legend whips people with his birch bundle, but he’s a literal demon. Surely the costumed human Krampus partiers wouldn’t engage in such violence, right? Wrong. Here’s a description of the Salzburg Krampuslauf from a tourist who expected mere costumed buffoonery and came home with welts: Several factors coincided to produce a broad acceptance of greeting cards as a popular commodity,” says Bradbeer, including a higher literacy rate and new consumerism stemming from increasing levels of discretionary income. But postal reform and advances in printing technologies were the two factors that really pushed Christmas cards into the mainstream. Ridenour, Al (2016). The Krampus and the Old Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil. Port Townsend, WA: Feral House. ISBN 978-1-62731-034-5. Today, despite the rise of electronic communication and social media, billions of Christmas cards are bought and exchanged around the world each year.

Whether or not Beauchamp is primarily responsible for introducing Krampus cards to the U.S., Krampus has since become a sort of ironic icon in America. Etsy has a whole section of items inspired by classic Krampus cards. And if you don’t have time to send cards, you can buy an ugly Krampus sweater to wear to your local Krampus party or Krampuslauf. Krampus’ popularity in the U.S. arguably peaked with the 2015 feature film Krampus, which shouldn’t be confused with the many other low-budget Krampus movies. The Krampus figures persisted, and by the 17th century Krampus had been incorporated into Christian winter celebrations by pairing Krampus with St. Nicholas. [13] Modern history [ edit ]