When and where it's scary

Krampus and Perchten are released from their chains

Every year again: from this weekend onwards, the spooky Krampus and Perchten parade through Carinthia's towns and across the countryside.(Bild: Rojsek-Wiedergut Uta)

Late in the evening you can already feel and smell it, winter - and soon the chains will be rattling again and the creepy figures of the underworld will be joining us once more. Read on to find out what the old custom of the Krampus is all about, how they differ from the shaggy Perchten and where you can meet them. 

The Krampus - derived from the Middle High German term "Kramp" (claws) - was not actually appointed as a servant to Saint Nicholas until around 1700. While his noble, good-natured master praises the children on the basis of his year-round notes in his golden book, his shaggy companion is responsible for punishing naughty girls and boys. In the past, the particularly bad children were put in the buttocks on their backs, taken to the village border and released there. Nowadays, the Krampus is limited to a few "gentle" strokes with the rod.