Editorial photo #2370192 Human Interest
Krampus Run around the Munich Christmas Market
December 10th, Munich. About 300 masked beings frighten passers by during the big traditional run of the Krampusses around the Munich Christmas Market. The 500-year-long tradition of the Krampus Run dates back to Christian folklore and the stories of the Bishop Nicholas and his companion, the Krampus. The run takes place at Munich Christmas Market and features members of Munich’s first ever Krampus group (the Sparifankerl Pass) dressed up in traditional costumes to surprise visitors. These figures date back to pagan celebrations of December 22, the longest night of the year, that were later adopted for Christmas. Together, the Krampus like figures and the bishop St. Nicholas, a more austere version of the American Santa Claus, held a kind of judgment day for children, where the punishments for being naughty were much more severe than a lump of coal. (Photo by Romy Arroyo Fernandez/NurPhoto)
