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Most American four-year-olds can tell you all about beloved Christmas characters like Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman. But in other countries, talking about Rudolph and his ilk might earn you little more than a blank stare. Here’s a look at some holiday characters who might not be familiar to Americans, but play a big role in celebrations around the world.
1. Zwarte Piet
The Dutch equivalent of Santa, Sinterklaas, rolls into town via steamship from his home in Spain, and he’s always got Zwarte Piet (“Black Pete”) in tow. Although for years Black Pete was depicted as Santa’s slave, since the 1950s he’s been toned down a bit and is now thought of as Santa’s mischievous helper—a scamp who will also put naughty children in a bag and take them back to Spain. Despite being recast as Santa’s friend or devoted, albeit non-slave, servant, Black Pete still incites quite a bit of controversy, as many Dutch people feel that a subservient character in blackface and an afro wig is more than a little racist.
2. Krampus
This terrifying horned monster is part of the Christmas tradition in Austria and other surrounding countries. If children are good, Saint Nicholas brings them toys. If they’re bad, though, they’ve got to face Krampus’ wrath. The clawed, hairy beast is said to punish naughty children by stealing their toys, smacking them with a birch rod, and even tying them in a sack and chucking them into a river. Getting a lump of coal in your stocking doesn’t seem like such a terrible fate in comparison, does it?
3. Belsnickel
In northwestern Germany and in some Pennsylvania Dutch communities, children get visits from the somewhat less intimidating Belsnickel instead of Krampus. Belsnickel, a man covered in head-to-toe fur, sneaks a sock or shoe full of candy into children’s rooms. Like Krampus, though, Belsnickel will put his foot down; if the children have been naughty, they’ll wake up to a shoe full of coal or switches.
4. Le Pere Fouettard
Le Pere Fouettard is another of Saint Nicholas’ enforcers, this time in Eastern France. This bearded, black-robed character carries either a whip or a rod, and while St. Nick hands out toys to the good children, Le Pere Fouettard is said to beat the naughty ones. Even though he may not be as visually terrifying as Krampus, some origin stories for Le Pere Fouettard are pretty grisly. He’s said to be the murderer of three boys who’s now stuck working for St. Nick to atone for his sins.
5. Gryla
Naughty children in Iceland have to fear being caught by Gryla, an ogress who lives in a mountain cave but comes out each year to plague bad kids during Christmas. During the 18th century, Gryla was such a terrifying figure—her mythology at the time included eating the bad children, not just scaring them—that a public decree banned the use of Gryla to strike terror in the hearts of the poorly behaved.
6. Ded Moroz
Ded Moroz (“Grandfather Frost”) is the Slavic equivalent of Santa Claus, but he acts just a bit differently from the St. Nick Americans are used to. Ded Moroz carries a magical staff everywhere, and instead of sneaking down chimneys to deposit gifts before disappearing into the night, he actually shows up at New Year parties to give kids their gifts.
Ded Moroz had a tough time in the Soviet Union. Between the Russian Revolution and 1937, he didn’t come at all due to a ban on Christmas-like New Year’s traditions. When Joseph Stalin came into power, he ordered that Ded Moroz wear a blue coat so that no one would confuse him with the Western Santa Claus.
7. La Befana
Children in Italy don’t have to worry about Santa, but they definitely want to remain on the good side of Befana. On January 6th each year, Italian kids wake up with the hope that Befana, a shawl-wearing old lady who rides a broomstick, will have come down their chimneys to leave a sock full of candy rather than a lump of coal.
8. Olentzero
In Basque communities, Olentzero comes to town on Christmas Eve to deliver children’s holiday gifts. Although Olentzero—an overweight man who wears a beret, smokes a pipe, and dresses like a Basque farmer—is now a beloved character who comes bearing gifts, he used to have some violent enforcer-type aspects to his personality; children heard that if they didn’t go to sleep, Olentzero would hurl a sickle down the chimney. The message was clear: go to sleep or Olentzero will come cut your throat.
9. Tio de Nadal
Tio de Nadal is a Catalan character that’s also known as “Caga tio,” or “pooping log.” Starting with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th, Catalan families host a tio, which is a small hollow log propped up on two legs with a smiling face painted on one end. Each night the family gives the log a few morsels of food to “eat” and a blanket so it will “stay warm” throughout the evening.
On Christmas or Christmas Eve, the family then orders the hollow log to “defecate” small gifts. Family members sing songs and hit the log with sticks in order to speed its “digestion,” and the log gradually drops candies, nuts, and dried fruits that the family shares. When a head of garlic or an onion falls out of the log, all of the treats are finished for the year.
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Comments (19)
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Pooping Log?
posted by Nick on 12-15-2009 at 11:17 am
Krampus was on the Colbert Report last week!
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/258162/december-09-2009/the-blitzkrieg-on-grinchitude—hallmark—krampus
posted by strangebrooch on 12-15-2009 at 11:31 am
What? No Snegurochka (Snow Maiden) to go with Ded Moroz? Sadness! However, I learned a couple things about them from my Russian teacher this year that I found interesting: the government and companies and such will hire people to play Snegurochka and Ded Moroz to go house to house and give children the official present of whomever they are representing. It’s usually a small gift bag. My teacher worked for a university library back in Russia, and she was hired to play Snegurochka for a few years. It is also traditional to give Ded Moroz and shot of vodka (or other drink), I think as a sign of gratitude. She said that throughout the night she’d accompany many Ded Moroz’s to make sure that they didn’t get too drunk.
posted by SEM on 12-15-2009 at 11:43 am
I want a Tio de Nadal pooping log for Xmas!!!
posted by Brian on 12-15-2009 at 11:47 am
The Christmas Sh*tter, from the Catalan area of Spain, might be related to the Tio de Nadal… Either way, it’s a popular part of Nativity scenes today…
posted by mat on 12-15-2009 at 12:44 pm
Krampus was the villain in the Venture Brothers Christmas special.
posted by Dantheman on 12-15-2009 at 1:07 pm
Also, Krampus was on the Venture Bros season 1 Christmas special. Awesome stuff.
posted by Seth on 12-15-2009 at 1:16 pm
If Le Pere Fouettard is atoning for the murder of 3 boys that he committed by helping Santa. Wouldn’t it be more prudent for him to carry Santa’s heavy bag of toys? Don’t you think a murderer would enjoy beating children, therefore not atoning for anything at all, but merely enjoying his work?
posted by Mavis on 12-15-2009 at 1:38 pm
Thank you for posting my beloved Sinterklaas (the real Santa) and Zwarte Piet!
posted by Monique DiCarlo on 12-15-2009 at 1:45 pm
From “Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Christmas Collection, p31-33
The Christmas Cat-from Iceland-eats children who don’t get new clothes for Christmas, because they didn’t help out with the spinning and knitting.
Julenissen-Scandinavia-If they don’t get a bowl of rice pudding at a certain household, these elves will cause trouble for the ungenerous household.
Knecht Ruprecht-from Germany-He wears long brown robes and carries a stick to punish bad children.
Klaubauf-Austria- Has a shaggy coat, goat horns, a long red tongue and rattling chains. It doesn’t say how he punishes bad children.
Oskorei-Norway-Mischievious spirits who can be thwarted by painting crosses on barns.
Saint Nicholas is said to intercede before Krampus can carry bad kids off.
Schmultzi-Sitzerland-Like Knecht Rupert, Schmultzi dresses in brown robes. But he doesn’t just carry disagreeable children off-he EATS them!
posted by Sara in AL on 12-15-2009 at 2:01 pm
When I lived in Iceland, I would leave a shoe out for the “Christmas Lads” to fill. They are the 12 troll sons of two monsters who ate children (possibly Gryla?). The brothers felt that they needed to make up for their parents’ bad behavior and one by one–one per each night of the Christmas season–they’d come down from the mountains to leave gifts for good children. Though they weren’t above scaring or punishing children who had been bad. Much like Snow White’s dwarfs, each troll had a descriptive name: Bowl-Licker, Meat-Hooker, Window-Peeper, etc. FYI, I played Bowl-Licker in the school play in the second grade!
posted by Amanda on 12-15-2009 at 2:49 pm
Okay, so does the family sit around and watch the s*itting log give it’s gifts? Are the gifts put in before or how does this work?
and, obvi, ew.
posted by OkieMelissa on 12-15-2009 at 4:36 pm
I’m so happy you’ve mentioned caga tio!
All my family is from Catalonia and I grew up with that log! In the town my mom is from they have a hugo caga tio that the whole town participates with and the biggest winner would get a new car.
posted by Caterina on 12-15-2009 at 5:29 pm
From what I understand, the majority of Dutch see no problem with the portrayal of Zwarte Piet (they even tried to change his color once, but it wasn’t popular and didn’t catch on.)
It’s a very difficult thing for me to even form an opinion about. On the one hand, I know I’m a product of my culture which has strong feelings about whites donning black features and many cultures don’t have this in their history. However I also know that culture and tradition does not excuse discrimination. But, does “Black Pete” count? Seriously, I don’t know. Maybe, trying to put it in perspective, would it be like if little people outside of North America criticized our mythos for objectifying Santa’s little helpers? Hm.
posted by Lynnie on 12-15-2009 at 5:38 pm
I went to a Christmas Market in the Netherlands last weekend. I had just seen the Colbert Report report on Krampas and came this close to buying a statue of Krampas. Alas, I didn’t think my future children would want to wet themselves every year when he came out. :)
posted by Tricia on 12-15-2009 at 6:32 pm
Thank for posting this article I couldn’t help but laugh when I read about the log I am sorry in advance if my laughing about the log upset anyone.
posted by Kari on 12-15-2009 at 9:40 pm
Did you know that the western Santa clause used to be green? I’m not sure why he was turned red, one theory is that it was down to coca-cola, but I am not to sure.
posted by Paul @ Provence holiday house on 12-16-2009 at 12:41 am
Sinterklaas rides a horse on the roofs of the houses in the Netherlands. Zwarte Piet then enters the house via the chimney, that’s why he is black (from the soot). Every year, some politically correct people in the Netherlands, try to blame Sinterklaas for being racist. But it never catches on, because we know better. Has nothing to do with blackface, really!
posted by Femke on 12-16-2009 at 7:22 am
http://www.channels.nl/knowledge/28970.html – a really hilarious perspective on zwarte piet :)
posted by Anaximander on 12-16-2009 at 1:17 pm