Christmas Fear: Bringing Krampusnacht to Milwaukee

“It’s made out of real goat hair,” said Izzy Jaecks. “And this year I added 121 bells.”

Huddled around a circular table within the cozy confines of the Riverwest Public House, Jaecks’ colleagues listened attentively. “It totals about 40 pounds, but it’s attached to my body so it’s not a big deal,” said Jaecks. Dark matted-fur, twisted wooden horns and glowing red eyes, the group had been perfecting their costumes for months.

The group was preparing for Krampusnacht, the one night of the year that St. Nick’s ghoulish partner has his fun. Good boys and girls will wake up to toys and treats in their stockings while those on the naughty list are met with dread. “Krampus puts a switch in your boot if you’re bad,” said Cast Member Kael Starr. “He either whips you with a switch or throws you in a sack to take you to the underworld where he keeps you in a cage until quite frankly, he’s ready to eat you.” 

The story of Krampus isn’t exactly the feel-good tale of Christmas cheer we’re used to this time of year and that’s one of the things this group of Milwaukee Krampusnacht actors like best about the twisted German holiday tradition. “I work in a haunted house, so I love the fear aspect that it brings instead of the traditional goodie-goodie approach,” said Krampus Actor Dan Decker. “What’s gonna happen if you’ve been bad? They never tell you, well, here you go.”

According to European tradition, Krampus goes door to door with St. Nick on the evening of December 5. However, this mythical beast’s roots have nothing to do with Christmas at all. In fact, Krampus is said to be the son of the Norse god Hel and the character dates back to pre-Germanic paganism throughout the region. The Catholic Church attempted to banish Krampus during the 12^th century due to his uncanny resemblance to the devil. However, despite the church’s best efforts Krampus reigned supreme as a beloved holiday-staple. 

While the celebration of Krampusnacht thrived throughout Europe, it -- and everything of German descent -- was heavily frowned upon in the United States during World War One. “It was illegal to speak German in the U.S. during that time,” said Jaecks. “Sauerkraut became victory cabbage, Salisbury steak became the hamburger patty, there were a lot of German traditions and language that was suppressed.” While anti-German sentiment continued to linger in the states during this time, the ill-will began to lift after World War Two as more German immigrants settled stateside.

“I grew up in a German-Polish family, but they never really talked about Krampus, so it was a happy mistake that I stumbled upon this group,” said Starr. “It was like, this is what I was missing, these are all the cool things I’ve heard little whispers about.” 

Now Starr and her fellow cast members want to share those little whispers with anyone who is willing to listen and after 2017’s massively successful first annual Milwaukee Krampusnacht it seems the public can’t get enough of the Christmas Devil. 

                Last year’s event took place at Milwaukee’s Lakefront Brewery and enough tickets were sold to meet the building’s maximum capacity of 500 people within just two days. “I was like ‘ok, people are really into Krampus’,” said Entertainment Director for Milwaukee Krampusnacht Tea Krulos. “It’s a great event for those who like a little weirdness. It’s kind of an antidote to that ridiculously sugary and sappy overly-commercialized stuff you associate with the holidays. People who feel like they’re more aligned with the Adams family or have a weirder interest, this is a holiday for them.” In addition to a much-needed change of pace during the holiday season Krulos also appreciates how the event brings the Milwaukee community together. “It’s a celebration of local art, music and performers. So, it’s like a weird Christmas thing and an art and musical festival of sorts,” he said.

                Milwaukee’s Bavarian Bierhouse acted as the venue for year two and the turnout was phenomenal. Families and friends mingled at large German-style tables as live music and the sound of bells and chains echoed throughout the hall.  One of the most notable events of the evening was the Krampus kid’s hour where curious kinder (that’s German for children) worked on crafts, listened in awe as Krampus’ fellow European folklore-friends La Befana and Mari Lywd shared stories and participated in their own kinder-Krampus parade.

 “When I was younger I didn’t even know about Krampus, so it’s nice to see the younger kids getting excited about it,” said Foukas.

“I couldn’t believe how many parents brought their little ones up to us at past events and they were like ‘this is Krampus, this is what I’ve been telling you about’,” said Starr. “They would pull us aside and say we’ve been raising our children, we’ve been carrying on the tradition.”

                “Krampus of course is the superstar of the event, but we’re trying to incorporate some other forgotten traditions,” said Krulos. “Everything goes back to the historic European tradition of trying to scare kids.”

La Befana is an Italian witch character who traditionally visits families on epiphany, January 5. Her role is similar to St. Nick’s, if you’re good La Befana gives you treats, if you’re bad she’ll punish you with coal. “There’s also a Welsh tradition called Mari Lwyd that’s probably even scarier than Krampus,” said Krulos. The Mari Lwyd is a horse skull with Christmas ornaments for eyes. Welsh villagers would cover their bodies with a sheet and carry their skull as a hobbyhorse going door to door to scare local kids. “They do this weird kind of rhyme-battle where the parents will say ‘no I won’t let you in’ and the Mari Lwyd says ‘yes, let me in’,” said Krulos. “Of course, the parents let them in and scare the kids. Then the Mari Lwyd gets food and drink inside and they move on to the next house.”

                Krampus, La Befana and Mari Lwyd all made a special appearance at the evening’s most anticipated event, the Krampus parade. Event attendees waited patiently in the crisp December air as actors lined up on the dark Beirhaus Oktoberfest-grounds. A group of Fae-like characters entertained the crowd as they waited for the real action to begin, finally the Krampuses were unleashed. A hoard of delightfully creepy cast members began to lurk down the parade route grunting, stomping and whipping bystanders along the way.

“When I put the costume on my stance changes, my face changes,” said Jaecks, describing the role a few days earlier during the preparation session. “The funny thing is, I’m making faces under the costume, but nobody can actually see me.” Laughter erupted around the table. “You’re like, why does this hurt,” said Cast Member Pam Foukas. “Why do my thighs burn?”

                Each cast member’s dedication to burning thighs, bringing back German tradition and of course, scaring kids, is part of what makes the event such a huge success. “The people involved in this event are super passionate and I’m so glad that there’s a group of people like that because it really motivates me,” said Krulos. “The great thing is, it’s being celebrated in Milwaukee in 2018. It’s open to anyone who wants to have a cool, fun time, you don’t need to be of European descent to appreciate it.”

December 5 is the one night a year that St. Nick’s ghoulish helper gets to have his fun. According to Milwaukee Krampus Cast Member Izzy Jaecks, when the chains come out and the mask goes on, “you’re not human anymore, you are Krampus.”