The Anti-Santa will wreck your Christmas

[Mindtoaster]

Krampus is a mythical creature who accompanies Saint Nicholas in various regions of the world during the Christmas season. The word Krampus originates from the Old High German word for claw (Krampen). In the Alpine regions, Krampus is represented by an incubus demon accompanying Saint Nicholas. Krampus acts as an anti–Saint Nicholas, who, instead of giving gifts to good children, gives warnings and punishments to the bad children. Traditionally, young men dress up as the Krampus in the first two weeks of December, particularly in the evening of December 5, and roam the streets frightening children and women with rusty chains and bells. In some rural areas the tradition also includes birching by Krampus, especially of young females.
Modern Krampus costumes consist of Larve (wooden masks), sheep's skin, and horns. Considerable effort goes into the manufacture of the hand-crafted masks, and many younger adults in rural communities compete in the Krampus events.
In Oberstdorf, in the southwestern alpine part of Bavaria, the tradition of der Wilde Mann ("the wild man") is kept alive. He is like Krampus (except the horns), is dressed in fur, and frightens children (and adults) with rusty chains and bells, but is not an assistant of Saint Nicholas.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8f/Krampus.png

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus

[Sasha]

http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/epic-fail-santa-fail1.jpg

[Black Sheep]

I declare this an anti-Christmas thread.
Pictures to purge the Christmas spirit back to the rock under which it came from are welcome.

[Pirate Utopian]

I'm going to ask for DJ Hero for christmas.

[bcbm]

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc136/vlad_567/merry_christmas002.jpg

[Il Medico]

I'm going to ask for DJ Hero for christmas.
Don't it sucks.

[Pirate Utopian]

The game seems cool enough from what I've seen.

What sucks about it?

[Tyrlop]

http://www.kianryan.co.uk/LiveJournalImages/2008/12/6/evil_santa.jpg

[Sasha]

http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/epic-fail-santa-fail.jpg

[bcbm]

can't believe nobody posted this yet
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200812/r321862_1435684.jpg

[Sasha]

http://www.justseeds.org/blog/images/Christmas_postcard-thumb.jpg

[bcbm]

:thumbup1:

[Sasha]

http://www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/New+Riots+Break+Out+Greek+Capital+rGlDOdq1_sOl.jpg

tree number 2 :laugh:

[Sasha]

http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/epic-fail-gangsta-fail.jpg

http://static.open.salon.com/files/01-the-last-days-of-santa-claus1228580656.jpg

http://www.justlaura.com/blogger/daily/santa57.jpg

http://pictureisunrelated.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/129034206386796858.jpg

[Rjevan]

Actually we have some (more or less) lovely tradition here, the "Krampustreiben", also called "Klausentreiben" in the Allgeau, where (mostly young) people dress up as Krampus and chase after (mostly young) people all troughout the village in order to beat them up like hell, always a great fun but since there were some serious injuries in the past the police watches the event nowadays... damn cops, no sense for a decent Christmas celebration. :(

http://img001.superweb.de/was/img/b2-l_p_25191_4_pic_krampustreiben2020052007.jpg

http://www.mieming-plus.at/images/031f2a9b670a9615f.jpg (too big for posting)

But yeah, Krampus rocks! :cool:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bf/300px-Krampus.jpg

[bcbm]

that bottom picture is more than a little unnerving.

[Jazzratt]

http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/epic-fail-gangsta-fail.jpg

I would spend actual money on owning the shirt that guy is wearing. It's fucking stylish.

[Sasha]

no its not...

[Invincible Summer]

Xmas just got a lot more badass.

[Pirate Utopian]

Don't it sucks.
You are wrong.

DJ Hero is awesome.

[Jazzratt]

no its not...

Dude it's the fucking grinch. Save for the crap where he learns his lesson (which I suspect was revisionism on the part of Dr. Seuss) he is the single most badass inhabitant of any snowflakes anywhere.

[GatesofLenin]

World = depression for 364 days and happy for 1 day. :confused:

[Sasha]

http://www.thestranger.com/images/blogimages/2009/12/06/1260162783-picture_4.png

more (way to much) at:
http://sketchysantas.com/
:unsure:

[Honggweilo]

Is it a coincidence that the dutch and belgian catholic tradition of "sinterklaas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas)" is celebrated on 5 december and "black pete (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwarte_Piet)" punishes bad children by whiping them?


"Zwarte Piet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwarte_Piet)," Sinterklaas's helping hand Black Pete, has his origin in the bishop's legendary past. Three small Moorish boys were sentenced to death for a crime they did not commit. The bishop intervened and they were saved. To show their gratitude, the boys stayed with Sinterklaas to help him, tumbling and jumping on rooftops on Sinterklaas night to deliver presents. Their black skin may refer either to their Moorish background, or to the job of chimneysweep, an option is corroborated by their clothes, reminiscent of an Italian chimneysweep's costume and Pete's rooftop occupation. Another background story for Pete is that he is the devil who was enslaved by Sinterklaas. Nowadays, children in the Netherlands are told that the Pieten work for Sinterklaas voluntarily and that there is a special school in Spain where they learn their trade.

I think Krampus is much more brutal \m/ then black pete though, and less "dodgy" :rolleyes: