On December 21st 2014 the annual Krampus run took place at the famous Christmas fair, the Christkindl Markt, in Munich. This is an old traditional costume parade. According to German (Alpine) folklore a Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure that punishes children who had misbehaved during Christmas season. St. Nicholas and the Krampusse walk through the city of Munich in their scary handmade costumes. The first Krampus group from Munich, "Sparifankerl Pass", is wearing a new outfit: Original costumes designed in Bad Gastein, Austria, by artist Mike Lederer. The wooden masks are made of Swiss pine, hand-painted and have a weight of up to 23 lbs. They are decorated with horn of goats and sheep and beards of horsehair. Building one mask takes between 15 to 20 hours. The heavy coats are made of sheepskin and customized to the persons wearing them. The costumes are completed by two about 8 inch large special handmade bells. Nowadays meeting Saint Nicholas and his scary Krampusse is not as bad as it might have been according to the folk tales - they gladly pose in front of the camera and let you take photos.Der Engel Lea und der Bischof Nikolaus. Am letzten Adventssonntag, 21. Dezember 2014, laeuft die erste Muenchner Krampusgruppe Sparifankerl Pass ueber den Muenchner Christkindlmarkt. Credit: Henryk B. Bilski/face to face
fot. Face to Face/REPORTER