Halloween is over and youve eaten the last piece of candy, stashed the prosthetics and costumes in anticipation for next year, and as the post haunt depression creeps in youll ask yourself: “what now!?”. The folks at RVA Krampusnacht have a solution, introducing the old world tradition of Krampus to the streets of Richmond Virginia. Combining terrifying costumes and holiday whimsy, they are bringing Halloween flavor to a new Yuletide tradition. Krampus legends crawled from pre-Christian traditions and Alpine folklore, as a very stark contrast to our ol St. Nick. Where Santa rewards the good boys and girls of the world with gifts, Krampus mission was to punish the bad little kiddies, carrying them away in his sack to never be seen again.With black and brown fur, goat hooves, and a pointed tongue, the devil-like Krampus bares chains he menacingly rattles and carries a birch switch to swat deviant youths. Traditionally young men dress up as the Krampus in Central European countries such as Austria and Romania during the first week of December, roaming the streets frightening children with rusty chains and bells. RVA Krampusnacht has tapped into this spirit, creating the annual “Krampus Walk”, with the 2nd annual installment on Saturday December 6th. The Krampus walk consists of volunteers playing the roles of Krampus, St. Nick, and the bad children to be swept away for their naughty indiscretions. The walk takes place in downtown Richmond, parading through Cary Street by busisness and bystanders, bringing a quirky and creative twist to the consumer driven status quo. Mansion of the Macabre recently talked to Nicole, one of the founders of RVA Krampusnacht, to ask a few questions about the background and logistics of scheduling the Krampus Walk. Mansion of the Macabre: Hi Nicole, first question, why Krampus? Could you tell us about the origin of the Krampus Walk? Nicole: We had been looking up Krampus around Christmas time, printing out the Victorian Krampus cards and tacking them up on the office walls. We also found the YouTube videos of the walks in Austria and thought how amazing it was that they could surprise tourists like that, and how it would probably never fly in the U.S. We wished it would happen here, so on Dec. 5th a friend and I surprised our other friends at a bar in Richmond by wearing some furs and carrying switches. Outside we were playing around and a passerby said Hey, thats Krampus, right? I thought Wow! People do know who he is. Mansion of the Macabre: Organizing an event like this in the middle of Winter during holiday shopping season is very ambitious, what was it like organizing it? Nicole: The following year I posted a status on Facebook asking my friends who would actually want to make a go of a Krampuslauf in Richmond. Immediately Parker Galore responded with a marriage proposal, and while I declined the nuptials, RVA Krampusnacht was born. Parker had organized lots of events in Richmond before and knew how to contact the press and get the word out. Hes responsible for art shows at Gallery 5, the Carnival of 5 Fires, and the Party Liberation Front. We only had a little less than 2 months to put together the first walk (2013), so everything had to happen quickly. We got a friend to portray St. Nicholas, had a few angels and a Frau Perchta, and got to work on Krampus masks. Mansion of the Macabre: The response seems overwhelmingly positive, what did it take to make it such a success? Nicole: I think the biggest reason it was a success was the overwhelming response and willingness of everyone involved. Richmond has a great art scene, and people were ready for something like this. Other cities around the U.S. have Krampus walks too, so it isnt just us, but its still just breaking the surface of U.S. culture. We want to add our own artistic flair while still honoring this amazing European tradition. This year we had more time to plan, so we added a website, networked with other states such as Philidelphia for a mask making workshop, and added a Krampus art show the night before the walk with 25 local artists participating. Mansion of the Macabre: What was the reaction to the first Krampus Walk? Was their any negativity or opposition considering Krampus is a horned devil-like beast? Any funny stories from the first year? Nicole: So far we havent run into any of the opposition I originally anticipated. Mostly the walk has been really well received. We never asked permission, we just got the word out and did it. Even those Christmas shoppers who were taken by surprise seemed to enjoy watching us. We did have a really funny encounter though. Across the street from where we were walking, the theater was having some sort of Christian family radio night and there was a line of people who thought we were demons. As we walked by them they started singing hymns at us and making the sign of the cross. We just danced along with them, but I think they were legitimately worried. I later found out that a supporter of Krampusnacht is a neighbor of someone in their church, and when he explained to them what we were really doing they relaxed. Mansion of the Macabre: Could you explain the components of a GOOD Krampus costume? Nicole: A good costume in my opinion is something youve put some effort into and gotten creative with. The most expensive and traditional Krampus costumes come from Europe and involve real Yak hair, goat horns, and giant ass-bells that chime when you walk. One bell alone can cost $100. But many of us cant afford that! There are a lot of great options for less expensive incarnations of Krampus. Real horns arent hard to find online, and there are lots of DIY videos on youtube for satyr pants, hooves, and masks. I did hooves because I wanted my Krampus to look more impish and less like a yeti. Please check out the links for RVA Krampusnacht and their Facebook for more details. Please share and support! rvakrampus/ https://facebook/RVAkrampus
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 08:47:24 +0000
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