Photo Gallery I, Krampus
Krampus comes to Austria: On Dec. 5, men dressed in frightening goat masks roam villages terrifying children and spanking girls.
Begun centuries ago, Krampus is considered St. Nicholas's alter ego. If jolly St. Nick rewards children with presents, Krampus comes to terrify them.
Today Krampus parades and festivals are a growing Austrian tradition, usually accompanied by alcohol.
Austria's Christmas devil has long horns, a goat-like face and cloven hoofs.
Krampus costumes have grown more and more elaborate. But today the tradition often devolves into a mid-winter bacchanal.
The Krampus's job is to punish children for their bad behavior. Along the way, they usually get good and tanked.
Krampus is part of a European tradition of scary counterparts to St. Nicholas. But he's scarier than most.
