Tonight at 6pm, outside of the Aquarian Bookshop in Carytown, hundreds of people will gather together to celebrate a centuries old European yuletide tradition known as
Tonight at 6pm, outside of the Aquarian Bookshop in Carytown, hundreds of people will gather together to celebrate a centuries old European yuletide tradition known as Krampusnacht.
Translated literally as “Night of Krampus”, Krampusnacht is customarily held on December 6th, and normally involves parades of people dressed in elaborate costumes in honor of this ancient Germanic folklore.
According to the tradition, Krampus (which means “claw”) is a demonically portrayed companion of St. Nicholas, who would roam the town streets at night, punishing all the poorly behaved children by beating them with wooden switches and capturing them with chains.
Depictions of Krampus vary widely, however the majority of Krampus figures are shown with large horns, long tongues, and devilish features.
Nicole Pisaniello, a local artist and the owner of the illustration company Deramis Creations, and Parker Galore, an artist and arts organizer who helps run Gallery5, were responsible for starting up the event here in Richmond.
“There’s a few goals here,” said Galore. “One is to bring Krampus into the yuletide traditions of the United States. Another is to get people to dig deep into the roots of all these holidays and traditions we celebrate. It seems many people have lost sight of why we do these things and where they come from. Investigation and education. There’s so much focus on consumerism and consumption with the holidays. We’d like to try to offset that with the refocus of the magic of folklore and tradition. And of course getting people together to have fun, be creative and inspire is just part of many of my life missions so this just lines up with that naturally.”
Pisaniello explained the preparation process for the event, commenting that the majority of time was devoted to the creation of costumes and promotion.
“Half the fun of doing this,” she said, “is the creativity that goes into the home-made masks. Some of them are like folk art and others are like movie masks. There are a lot of artists here in Richmond, so I’m really excited to see everyone’s rendition.”
Galore said the most important thing for people to know about the event was anyone and everyone is invited to participate. “It’s all inclusive. We want all walks of life and backgrounds to be involved. We encourage everyone to dress as Krampi as possible. Horns are a must!”
Piasaniello made it clear that this event was not intended to offend anyone, stating “It occurs to us that people might misconstrue what we’re doing. I would just want them to know that this is all light-hearted and in the name of fun. And maybe we can teach people a little bit about a rich culture and mythology different from our own.”
While this is the first event of its kind to be held here in Richmond, Galore promised that it would not be the last, saying, “There is no choice. Krampus is here to stay.”
Be sure to come out to Carytown tonight at 6PM to revel in the glory that is Krampus, and don’t forget your switches, chains, and demon horns.
