About 250km to the south of us lie the Alps, already covered in a good thick layer of snow at this time of year. The mountains have always been fascinating to me, and seeing them awakens that same childish pleasure as when I catch the first glimpse of the sea on the way to the seaside.
And the traditions find it fascinating too.
Before the age of digital photos I would occasionally drive there, either for some sightseeing of the beautiful lakes and mountain passes, or for a day of skiing.
Life in the villages and remote farms in mountainous regions used to be very hard in winter (and still can be), and many superstitions arose, particularly regarding this time of year. Some of these are rather sinister, with evil spirits and fearsome creatures playing a role. One of these is Krampus, often depicted as a hairy horned man-like figure, who frightened children into being well-behaved. This is one of the least frightening photos I could find. If you search ‘Krampus’ online you will see even scarier images!
Similarly, in Bavaria ‘Knecht Ruprecht’ was an evil man dressed completely in black, who supposedly ate naughty children. Here he is depicted as part animal, resembling the devil…
While, on December 6th, the good children receive gifts from Saint Nicholas (the original Santa!), naughty children were tortured; I remember a student of mine (an adult at the time) telling us how he was still filled with dread on December 6th when he recalled how he was collected by Krampus/ Knecht Ruprecht every year and put in a sack, convinced he was going to die!!
Another myth involves evil who people make a pact with the devil during these dark days and turn into weirwolves, threatening humans and animals alike. It was common to burn incense in the stables and barns over Christmas, to ban evil spirits. One of the superstitions I have heard is that the animals in the barns are suddenly able to speak, and foretell the future. Should, however, anybody hear them, he or she is destined to immediate death. (Not sure how that one can be explained!) Another story is that on New Year’s Eve the animals can air their complaints to the ‘house spirit’ about the farmer if they have been mistreated, and he will then be punished. (I like that one!)
All of these myths and many more have become tradition and are remembered, re-enacted or celebrated in December, mainly between Thomas Day (today, December 21st) and Epiphany (January 6th) – the so-called ‘Rauhnächte’ – varying greatly from region to region. The appropriate clothing, masks and paraphernalia are passed down through generations or carefully preserved by communities. I love the fact that so many truly ancient traditions are still alive here today, mostly with pagan origins, being then rearranged around Christian holidays and adapted or extended over the centuries. I am sure, though, that children nowadays are not tormented as much as my student was 50-odd years ago. 😉
And now some nicer images… of my garden on a frosty winter solstice day. 😃
(Click on any image to open a slideshow).
Wishing you a happy Solstice day.
❄️☀️❄️
Lovely, lively and interesting post. I will tell my Grandchildren about the Krampus!
But don’t show them any photos! I cannot quite understand how people could frighten their children so horribly in the past!
Very scary! I wonder if that’s where George Orwell got the idea for Animal Farm! Love your photos of the mountains, stunning.
Interesting thought. Looking at my old photos of the mountains made me feel very nostalgic. 🙃 I think my last brief trip was over five years ago.
Wow those myths are frightening ! In eastern France they have the equivalent of Krampus with the Père Fouettard who would threaten to whip naughty children. Your photos are beautiful !
Thanks Judith! The English/British myths about Christmas and yuletide are so nice in comparison! 😉
A very enjoyable and interesting post, Cathy, I love the images especially of the mountains and your garden looks so festive too. I can see Anouk running around in it 😁. Knecht Ruprecht reminds me of Söder, don’t know why 😂. Actually I fear children are currently being maltreated and tortured more than ever. Here some take them out of school and organise home schooling with other parents. Enjoy your beautiful and peaceful home, big hug xx
Oh yes, there is definitely a resemblance. 😜 Yes, you are right. Children are suffering so much in other ways. I saw Neil Oliver interview Malone the other day on GB News and the other two guests either didn’t listen to what he said about vaccinating children or are idiots. Probably both actually.
Neil Oliver is a true beacon of light🙏 this whole thing has exposed not only the corruption but also the stupidity but the tide‘s turning.
I hope you are right Annette!
Greetings to the Alps. A beautiful scenic place as I enjoyed it.
Thank you. ☀️ Yes, the mountains are beautiful.
Winter Solstice in Bavaria, Krampus et al Winter Solstice in Bavaria, Krampus et al
Your pictures of Bavaria are stunning, so are your garden pictures. But the others were rather scary. But I know life was different in the old days.
But these traditions are still held today. Perhaps not so scary these days though!
Lovely frosty images, Cathy. The flower heads and sedge (?) are particularly nice. Interesting evil characters you describe, the worst we were told is that naughty children get only coal in their stockings. I was never too worried about that though! 😀
I think it is Festuca, but it was an unlabelled bargain. 😉 (Hope it’s hardy!)
Such a beautiful area. I am descended from Germans that immigrated to America around the 1820’s and the stories of Krampus were never pasted down to us. People here seem to be more interested in him in recent years.
The stories have made a comeback in Austria. I suppose it depends what part of Germany your family came from. The traditions vary literally from village to village!
The images of Krampus scare me now, I can’t imagine seeing or hearing of him as a child. The scenery looks wonderful as does your garden, why did you tie up some of the grasses?
We had quite a lot of snow a couple of weeks ago, which was threatening to flatten the grasses so early in the season that I took emergency measures and tied them up. I prefer to see them moving in the breeze, but will leave them tied up a bit longer. Cutting them back late winter is always such a shock, as they usually stay standing all through the winter.
Ah! I was thinking that would make them easier to cut back..
I love the Alp views but Krampus not so much. My Scandinavian ancestors recognized the nominally nicer tomte but he was capable of meanness if not offered appropriate gestures of respect. My first generation American parents didn’t even acknowledge Santa Claus as my mother believed one shouldn’t lie to children but for some reason she did regularly have pictures taken of my brother and I on Santa’s lap when we were little 😉
It is always interesting to hear my American friends mention their ancestors… I wonder if you have any distant relatives still in Europe? My grandfather traced our family back to the 1300s, as they were all in the same part of England and all farmers! (He was a farmer too!)
Oh my goodness! Beautiful images at the beginning and the end. And thanks for the history information, too. Happy solstice!
Happy solstice Beth! 😃
Dang! That is . . . weird! I am none too keen on how Christmas is celebrated anyway, so I should be too bothered by Krampus.
😉 Weird indeed!
Happy Soltice! We have sun today, I will take it as a good omen. Amelia
We have had two sunny days in a row. 😃 I am grateful for any at all at this time of year!
I don’t think that I want to look at any more images of Krampus Cathy or Knecht Ruprech Cathy but it is fascinating to read about them 😱 Your garden images are much more soothing to the soul. A most Happy Winter’s Solstice to you too. We are turning towards the light from now on😂
I am not sure we will notice much extra light for a few days yet, as cloudy wet weather is returning. So I may go into hiding for a week or so! 😉
The Krampus sounds like the Bi-Ba Butzemann who terrorised my ex-husband when he was naughty. But unlike the Krampus, he wasn’t just for Christmas. Lovely frosty images. Happy Solstice Cathy.
Thanks Chloris Never heard of Bi-Ba Butzemann!
Hope your Winter Solstice day was nice. Enjoyed reading about these traditions–rather glad to have missed growing up with them. Love your photos.
We actually had sunshine, but we are back to grey and rain now. Looking forward to the longer days! 😃
Cathy, thank you for sharing those lovely photos of your frosty garden. Amelia and I managed to work a little today in our “french garden”. But I always admire your garden, so organised and tidy!
Have a safe and wonderful Christmas and keep Covid and Krampus away from your garden.
Kourosh
Thank you Kourosh. I am pleased my garden looks tidy…, close-up there is much to do, but it is too cold and wet right now! Happy Christmas to you both!
Your mountain shots look delightful. I can imagine the harsh living conditions and isolation playing havoc on people’s minds though! It’s nice to have Winter solstice behind us now though.
Frost for Solstice, snow for Christmas???
We are waiting with bated breath… snow is indeed forecast for tomorrow! 😃☃️
Really interesting post, Cathy – I am glad I wasn’t brought up with an awareness of the Krampus or his colleagues, although I was always a bit of a goodygoody, so I don’t suppose it would really have mattered much!
Nevertheless a frightening character!
And I now recall that we did have Hoffmann’s Struwwelpeter stories which were a bit on the scary side… 😁