Events bring Krampusnacht traditions, history to Richmond

Emily McCauley, Contributing Writer

Krampusnacht comes from century-old alpine lore and is celebrated traditionally in Europe by men and boys dressing as big hairy beasts with horns to represent Krampus, according to Nicole Pisaniello, co-founder of RVA Krampusnacht. 

Krampus is the furry, fanged, clawed and honored beast that acts as the counterpart to Saint Nicholas, according to RVA Krampusnacht’s website. While the saint deals with the good children, Krampus deals with the naughty ones when making its rounds throughout the Alpine villages in Austria, southern Germany, Slovenia, The Czech Republic and other mountainous regions of central Europe. 

In celebration of this lore, RVA Krampusnacht hosts Krampus-themed activities in Richmond, according to Pisaniello.  

“It looks like Halloween has spread into the wintertime,” Pisaniello said.

To kick off the Krampus-themed events, horror illustrator Brit Austin will host a panel discussion covering the different history and folklore of Krampus on Nov. 30 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Sinisteria Unleashed, or Switch RVA, according to Pisaniello.

Additional panelists include author and illustrator of the “Yuletide Monsters Oracle deck” Madame Onca, author of the film and analysis podcast “Queerdo Babes from the Horror Pod-O-Rama!” and mask maker and digital artist Steven Warrick — who will host a mask making event following the panel discussion, according to Pisaniello.

RVA Krampusnacht includes other events such as Yuletide Monsters at Gallery5 on Dec. 1, Holidaze Market at Gallery5 and the 11th annual Krampus Walk in Carytown on Dec. 2, according to its website. 

RVA Krampusnacht’s events also feature traditional European characters other than Krampus such as Belsnickel, Frau Perchta, Schnabel Perchten and Mari Lwyd, according to Pisaniello.

The characters stem from European culture and folklore from countries such as Austria, Germany, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, Pisaniello said.

“We also want to acknowledge a lot of the monsters that tend to come out during the dark half of the year,” Pisaniello said. 

The Schnabel Perchten, one of those characters, looks like a woman with a giant beak coming out of her kerchief, according to Pisaniello. She carries a large pair of scissors and will go into your house around the wintertime to ensure it is tidy. If she finds you have not been a tidy housekeeper, she will slit your belly open with the scissors and stuff your guts full of old wool.

“I think it’s really important to remember these traditions and to carry them forward through artwork and through costumes and through performances so people see this and think ‘what the heck is that’ and want to know more,” Pisaniello said.

There is also the Mari Lywd, which looks like a decorated horse holding a person wearing a white sheet and a stick, according to Pisaniello. The Mari Lwyd will meet individuals for a rhyme battle and if one loses they must give the creature all of their alcohol and snacks. 

“I think it’s a really cool tradition. I think it brings us back to remembering that there’s consequences for your actions and not everything is just flowers and rainbows all the time,” Pisaneillo said.

Gallery5’s annual Yuletide Monsters art show on Dec. 1 will be a part of RVA First Fridays and is RVA Krampusnacht’s second event of the year, according to Parker Galore, co-founder of RVA Krampusnacht and original team member at Gallery5. The event features Krampus-themed artwork, a burlesque show and performances by The Embalmers and Girlspit.

The Krampus-themed art show has included many mediums in past years, including sculptures, homemade masks, drawings, costumes and even a Krampus carved out of crayons, according to Galore.

“It made sense for multiple reasons to have an art show with all kinds of different interpretations and mediums of Krampus and the Yuletide Monsters,” Galore said.

Gallery5 wanted to host an art show on First Friday involving RVA Krampusnacht because the Krampus Walk occurs the next day on Dec. 2, according to Galore. 

Gallery5 also hosts Holidaze Market before the walk, which features 20 local vendors inside and around the building.

RVA Krampusnacht began pairing the walk with an art show after its first year to showcase people’s creativity, according to Galore. 

“Christmas is not just celebrated in one way, and in fact, there are so many ways that this time of year has been acknowledged and celebrated, and a lot of different pieces of lore and mythology that were kind of left out of the Americanized Christmas because the whole thing is evolved over time,” Galore said. 

The band The Embalmers will play at Yuletide Monsters at Gallery5, according to David Wiskman, lead guitarist and keyboardist in The Embalmers. The band has played at the event almost every year since it began. 

“When it comes to monster-themed, horror-themed bands in Richmond we kind of are it,” Wiskman said. 

The band ties the Krampusnacht theme into their performance by wearing horns on their Fez’s and playing creepy surf-rock style music, according to Wiskman. 

Richmond has a unique, funky artistic vibe and this is a great thing to keep Richmond weird, according to Wiskman. 

“The artistic crowd in Richmond — I think they really get off on it because they can make their Krampusnacht and get the costumes going and just be creative,” Wiskman said. “It’s just a good time to party.”