December 2010 – The Foreign Traveler

Strange Austrian Traditions: Krampus

In Austria, December 5th is known as Krampus Day. As the evil counterpart of St. Nicholas, a religious version of Santa who brings chocolates and other sweets on December 6th, Krampus terrorizes Austrian villages the day before St. Nicholas’ arrival. Krampus often accompanies St. Nicholas and punishes the bad children (or adults) by whipping them…

Update

Oh my gosh! I didn’t realize it had been a whole month since I’d last written! A lot has gone on in the last month. I saw Lady Gaga. She was, of course, phenomenal (and insane…she tore a teddy bear in half with her teeth). In addition to her amazing music,she also had a good…