Christmas in Friuli with St Nicholas & the Krampus

At the start of December, in the small towns around Udine near to the Austrian and Slovenian Border, you may come across an ancient pagan ritual – the Krampus Parades.

The Krampus are mythical demonic creatures with scary faces, dirty fur, large horns and terrifying claws. In fact the name Krampus comes from the ancient German word for claw. The first mention of these legendary creatures relates to the ancient fertility rituals that were carried out by farmers at the time of the winter solstice.
In contrast, St. Nicholas is anything but scary, and is much loved around the world for his generosity. It is believed that when he was a young man, he was orphaned and made wealthy through his inheritance. He decided to use this money to help the poor people in the village, in particular, helping a family with three young daughters who could not afford their marriage dowries. Over three consecutive nights, St. Nicholas climbed onto their roof and threw gold coins down the chimney so that the girls could be married.

So how did St. Nicholas and the Krampus come together for the Friuli Christmas celebrations? Legend says that in times of famine, young people using animal skins and horns disguised themselves as Krampus so that could steal food during the harsh winter months. One fateful day however the young people noticed an imposter in their midst with goat’s hooves – the devil himself! They ran to get St. Nicholas who came to exorcise his evil presence.

This led to parades featuring Father Christmas sitting in a special carriage pulled along by oxen, or local people on foot, whilst the ‘Krampus’ ran amok in the crowd teasing the children, making them kneel down and say their prayers. Today, instead of stealing food, Krampus bring gifts of sweetbread for the children who have been good, but those who have not behaved so well are reprimanded and given a piece of coal.

The parades are mainly held in the towns around Tarviso, reachable along the A23 motorway or by train alighting at Tarviso Boscoverde, from where you can continue your journey using local buses.

Some of the best ones are at:

Tarvisio Centrale – the star of the show here is an especially bad Krampus who is locked in a cage during the festivities.

Camporosso (Tarvisio) – After the torch parade, Father Christmas calls the children to a stage in the square to recite a little prayer.

Pontebba – held at nightfall on the 8th and 9th December.

Coccau (Tarvisio) –here the festival takes place at the village church dedicated to St. Nicholas.

Cave del Predil – be careful, as in this part of Tarviso go out before dusk...

Malborghetto – Father Christmas is joined not just by the Krampus but also by angels who come from heaven to accompany him and reassure the children.