Elisabeth Mandl / ReutersA person costumed as Krampus participates in the traditional Perchten parade in Vienna, Austria, on November 30, 2025.Stefano Mazzola / GettyThe Krampus of the Flagellium group and Saint Nicholas enter a house to bring gifts to children in Fusine di Valromana in Tarvisio, Italy, on December 5, 2025. Saint Nicholas and the Krampus are folkloric figures from the Alps, where on the night of December 5 (the eve of Saint Nicholas Day), the saint rewards good children with sweets, while his demonic helpers, the Krampus (horned, hairy, and noisy creatures), scare and symbolically punish the bad ones, in a tradition that mixes Christianity and pagan rituals, especially in South Tyrol, Austria, and Friuli.Borut Zivulovic / ReutersA person dressed as the horned evil spirit known as the Krampus takes part in a parade through the small town of Goricane, Slovenia, on November 22, 2025.Matthias Schrader / APParticipants wearing traditional Krampus and Perchten costumes perform during a Krampus run in Itter, Austria, on December 5, 2025.Stefano Mazzola / GettyA Krampus from the Flagellium group scares children in Fusine di Valromana on December 5, 2025, in Tarvisio, Italy.Elisabeth Mandl / ReutersA person costumed as Krampus participates in the traditional Perchten parade in Vienna, Austria, on November 30, 2025.Stefano Mazzola / GettyThe Krampus of the Flagellum group perform near the upper lake of Fusine on December 5, 2025 in Tarvisio, Italy.Jim Dyson / GettyThe Billiards Room in Waddesdon Manor is decorated with German traditions, including the legend of the Krampus, seen on November 23, 2025, in Aylesbury, England.Stefano Mazzola / GettyThe Krampus of the Flagellum group perform in Tarvisio, Italy, on December 5, 2025.Stefano Mazzola / GettyThe Krampus of the Flagellum group walk through the woods in Fusine di Valromana, on December 5, 2025.Stefano Mazzola / GettyA Krampus from the Flagellium group scares children on December 5, 2025.Elisabeth Mandl / ReutersA person costumed as Krampus takes part in the Perchten parade in Vienna, Austria, on November 30, 2025.Meegan M. Reid / Kitsap Sun / USA Today / ReutersKrampus Bremerton’s Eric Morley heads for the crowd lining Pacific Avenue during the Krampusnacht Bremerton parade on December 6, 2025, in Bremerton, Washington.IMAGO / Wolfgang Maria Weber / ReutersOnlookers watch as performers take part in a Krampus run in Munich, Germany, on December 14, 2025.Stefano Mazzola / GettyThe Krampus of the Flagellum group entered a bar in Fusine di Valromana, on December 5, 2025.Stefano Mazzola / GettyPerformers dressed as Krampus put on a show in Tarvisio, Italy, on December 5, 2025.Michaela Stache / AFP / GettyA spectator takes a selfie with participants dressed as Krampus, a half-goat, half-demon figure that punishes misbehaving children during the Christmas season, during the traditional Krampus parade in downtown Munich, on December 14, 2025.
