Krampus The Christmas Devil Visits on December 5th Its Krampusnacht
Krampusnacht (Krampus Night) is one of my favorite Yulish traditions, Krampus (the Christmas Devil) and Zwarte Piet (which is where black-face originates) are the duo affiliated with Krampus traditions, actually a trio often pictured with Saint Nicholas.
Both When Santa was a Shaman: The Ancient Origins of Santa Claus & the Christmas Tree (Book) by Tony Van Renterghem and The Magickal Year: A Pagan Perspective On The Natural World (book) by Diana Ferguson are two of my favorite books that explain The Dark Time of the Year, highly recommended for those interested in Christmas' Pagan roots.
When I say the dark of the year I mean it was the time of the year (which is different according to geography) when the animals were slaughtered that couldn't be wintered (no room in the stables); according to Pagan folktales this is where the Christmas tree comes from, inerds (perhaps sausage links) were hund from trees in some cultures. This mass butchering would have been a huge event, everyone in the village (or perhaps nearby villages as well would gather) to help prepare the meat with different preservation methods; it was also a time for frolicing and mixing of the gene pool, a little mead, song, dance and getting in your neighbors pants was all part of it. Making Merry took on a whole nuther meaning back-in-the-day.
Both When Santa was a Shaman: The Ancient Origins of Santa Claus & the Christmas Tree (Book) by Tony Van Renterghem and The Magickal Year: A Pagan Perspective On The Natural World (book) by Diana Ferguson are two of my favorite books that explain The Dark Time of the Year, highly recommended for those interested in Christmas' Pagan roots.
When I say the dark of the year I mean it was the time of the year (which is different according to geography) when the animals were slaughtered that couldn't be wintered (no room in the stables); according to Pagan folktales this is where the Christmas tree comes from, inerds (perhaps sausage links) were hund from trees in some cultures. This mass butchering would have been a huge event, everyone in the village (or perhaps nearby villages as well would gather) to help prepare the meat with different preservation methods; it was also a time for frolicing and mixing of the gene pool, a little mead, song, dance and getting in your neighbors pants was all part of it. Making Merry took on a whole nuther meaning back-in-the-day.