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One of the main reasons we wanted to come to Austria this time of year was to see some of the Krampus celebrations. Krampus is celebrated in the week leading up to Advent and there are numerous groups that put on performances all around Salzburg. To learn more about the origins of the Krampus folklore click this link.
We made our way up to the Hohensalzburg Castle as we got wind that there would be some Krampus activity at 3:00 in the market. As we found our way up there it was snowing in earnest. The mood was set when we got to the top of the mountain via the funicular and were greeted by a trio of alpine horn players.
We walked around the market for a bit and at 3:00 pm we heard the tell tale sounds of clanking bells and rattling chains. There looked to be about 20 or so Krampus coming up the side of the mountain.
All the masks are hand-made and carved from wood. They are quite spectacular to see. The actors who dress up as these creatures do tend to get a bit overheated, even if it is only 32 degrees outside. They also have a number of handlers who make sure everything is ok and that no one is getting hurt.
All in all, they spent 30 minutes or so whipping small children as well as the younger girls and even some of the men. Cynthia even found herself feeling the lash of the mighty Krampus. I tried to get her to pose for more pictures, but she was actually a bit afraid of them. They can be rather intimidating as they come clattering toward you growling loudly with their teeth bared.
I found them to be quite amusing and had the time of my life photographing them.
After running around with the Krampus clan at the Hohensalzburg Castle we headed back to the hotel to warm our weary bones. But we read there was another Krampus run coming right past our hotel around 5:30 pm so we went down to check it out.
IF you are interested in seeing the rest of my Krampus photos you can find them by clicking here.