Transcript for 12/13/24: KRAMPUS THE 13th W/ JEFF BELANGER

It's Friday the 13th and what timing to have this unlucky day around the time that people have their company parties and in some places the October spook houses remodel their facilities in order to dedicate it to Krampus. Yes we all know about Krampus, the Christmas bad cop who punishes children who do not obey their parents.

I have said many times that the reason I like Krampus so much is because it is Halloween's revenge, especially agist Radio stations that start playing Christmas Music before December 25th and stores displaying Christmas, next to the ghost face masks from the movie Scream.

In one of those Christmas carols, they sing on the radio there is a lyric saying that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. With scary ghost stories that tell of the glories of Christmas a long time ago.

Well, as much of you know, Halloween is fleeting, but the scariest stories come from old pagan Christmas traditions that were terrifying as the night were longer and darker and things that go bump in the night were accompanied by screams in the woods and entities that would either scratch on the windows or knock on the doors.

There is an old superstition that states that when the winter wind blows and a person hears three knocks it means someone has died. In many paranormal stories we hear that when three knocks are heard at the door and no one is there, it means someone has died or is about to. Since these knocks are normally heard before someone dies they are a classic omen or harbinger.

This belief is sometimes known as the “three knocks of death.”

The Irish and the Scots both have traditions that state three knocks on a door or three taps on a window especially when heard at regular intervals, lasting for two minutes, means death.

According to several Native American tribes, when the thumping of a stick 3 times on the ground is heard or the beating of a drum 3 times is heard it means someone will die.

This superstition also pops up in Arab and Jewish traditions.

In America, people have told tales for years that involve three knocks and death.

Sometimes relatives pass down family “stories” that involve a grandparent who heard three mysterious knocks only to receive word afterward a beloved relative died, sometimes at exactly the time the knocks were heard.

These knocks are described as out of the ordinary. Those who have heard them state they were very loud, or that when they were heard they caused a feeling or sensation of fear or creepiness.

Most often these knocks or taps are heard on doors or windows. But other stories mention knocks on walls or even sounds that seem to come from inside the walls or from every corner of the room.

In other tradition three knocks at the door could mean a demon is calling or believe it or not Christmas is also a time where werewolves are on the prowl as in Hungarian and Romanian tradition people unfortunate enough to born on Christmas day receive a werewolf's curse.

Christmas has always been traditionally associated with sinister creatures from the woods and ghosts of hungry children knocking on doors. Their hollowed-out eyes are never seen in the winter darkness.. only their ghoulish voices asking for cookies Bread or milk,

But always remember it is the demons that knock three times unannounced. There are many people who will swear by the idea that during the darkest winters they have been haunted by beings that have no explanation.

Is it all that coincidental – or is there something evil afoot?

Well we can all blame it on the pagan traditions of Saturnalia or Mercury in retrograde -- but it can be a festive time of year or a year where families and children get cabin fever and become unruly -- this is why there is another character from the dark pages of Christmas and of course we are talking about Krampus.

In recent days Krampus has become a bit of a pop culture phenomenon, expanding past his original European birthplace to become known all over the world, and he has appeared in countless books, TV shows, and movies over the years, as well as igniting Krampus festivals and parades in other countries outside of Europe, including the United States. 

Although the evil trickster , Krampus has in many ways been commercialized almost as much as Santa Claus, and he may have lost his frightening edge a bit but is still not something any kid would want to see towering over their bed at night.

Krampus is the season you better watch out and not cry and not pout Santa would never be caught harming a child that is why he has a demonic little troll to do his dirty work. I think little children would behave much better if it were Krampus coming to town. Krampus parades all over European and the Slavic countries are terrifying as demon looking minions covered in fir walk the country side with torches and loud cowbells. They actually find victims and whip them with a switch -- Krampus is brutal in those areas of the world.

Krampus has finally arrived in the United States, however the American version is nothing like the European version, The American version seems to be more like heavy metal rock star than a enforcer of Santa's good behavior.

We knew that it would happens sooner or later, some religious officials are not too happy with the parades that have been happening in Texas. December 5th is the official date of Krampus Nacht and San Antonio decided that they wanted to have the first of its kind -- Krampus Parade.

Most recently, the Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller has expressed concern that this could cause stress for children.

This parade is something the archbishop says could frighten and cause nightmares in children. Other church leaders say tonight's parade is cause for concern.

"It alarms me that it’s a demon that’s half goat that comes into town to drag naughty children to hell," said Pastor Mark Lugo of SA Impact Ministries. "It’s just the fact you're thinking too deeply into it rather than festivities. It's like Halloween,"

Officials with the San Antonio Family Association released a statement in response to the Krampus Parade.

"This Krampus Parade is promoting evil through the scaring of children into submission and threats of dragging them to hell on the eve of one of Jesus’ saint’s feast day, St. Nicholas, who is more widely known as Santa Claus.

St. Nicholas’ is known for his incredible charity in the fourth century Asia Minor, modern day Turkey, especially towards families with daughters who would either get married or be forced into prostitution. St. Nick would secretly help dads out with the much needed dowries for the would-be husband to help them be positioned to live a virtuous and healthy life. Through his gift giving, St Nick became known as Santa Claus which is a Dutch translation of his name.

This seems to be a concerted attempt by the devil to create another reason to party to actually shake people’s faith in God especially children and rip a hole in the Christian heritage of our community know as San Antonio, aka the city of St. Anthony, all for “just a fun time” in another secular human tradition that’ll be “good for business”.

The family association is planning a prayer rally nearby,

Well it appears that the family Association has no idea what they are dealing with -- Krampus is not the Devil -- just like Santa is not the devil --- It is true that many legends of Santa date back to St, Nicholas --most of the legends of an elf or troll visiting children have not always been bright and shiny like a Christmas Tinsel.

In fact, the family associating probably thinks Krampus is something new but he really isn't.

I figure today, friday the 13th would a special day to tell you that Krampus has a connection to the number 13 as he is associated with a group called the Yule Lads.

Krampus is also Nicknamed Gryla in Iceland who resembles more of a vile troll that can shape shift into a hag. Gryla is far more terrifying than Krampus in that they chop up, boil, and eat misbehaving kids during the Christmas season, along with her partner in crime and husband, the mighty troll Leppalúði. Grýla was not always associated with Christmas, but became linked to the holiday sometime in the 17th century along with Krampus in some areas.

In Krampus parades they are both featured -- Krampus as male, Gryla as female and Leppalúði as part of the mob of scary figures during the dark cold December months.

The word Gryla is associated with a word from the Danish dialect that means “growler,” which is quite a common name for trolls or giants. Their names come from the sounds you hear on the landscape from animals. 

There are also the 13 evil offspring of Grýla and Leppalúði, called the Yule Lads, or the jólasveinar. These unrepentant tricksters are said to hide up in the mountains within their dank cave lair until December 13, after which one of them will come down each day to wreak some sort of havoc depending on their specialty or personal idea of deranged entertainment. 

It may or may not be an unlucky omen but the synchronicity of Friday the 13th -- gives us a reason to look for the trickster demonic Yule lads.

What’s different is that in other countries you have only one Santa. But now you have a bunch of darker characters from Krampus to Gryla and the Yule lads , coming down from the mountains one-by-one as Christmas approaches.

It contributes to more of the darker aspects of the Holiday and seems to be the bridge between Halloween and Christmas.

The little Domonic Yule Lads lick out bowls. They steal sausages. They bang doors and peep through windows—things of this kind. 

The are literally Christmas Poltergeists

They were first recorded in the 19th century, but you find similar stories in Norway as well, with The Christmas Lads. At first, the Yule Lads were called different sorts of names and were from different parts of Iceland, but many of the same names came up again and again.

Speaking of mischievous evil Christmas trolls, Greece has its own similar tales, with the goblin-like creatures called the kallikan. Emerging in the 19th century, these grotesque and ugly goblins were mostly considered to be rather cute and playful at first, hairy little beings with goat legs often seen cavorting about and dancing in the moonlit woods, but it would seem that their true purpose was rather malevolent.

The kallikantzaroi were actually impish beings from the underworld, whose main goal was to cut down the tree that keeps the earth anchored. They are active during the 12 days beginning from Christmas to Epiphany on January 6, and luckily they usually don’t succeed with their task, and have to wait until the next year, upon which the tree has healed and the whole cycle begins anew, entrapping them in an endless cycle.

On occasion humans are said to become these creatures during the known 12 days of Christmas, losing their voices and becoming twisted, deformed versions of themselves, and the kallikantzaroi are also known to take humans as marriage partners. They are mostly known for their mischievous ways, entering homes for 12 days.

In other areas food is to be left out for them, or to tidy up the place or to leave a fire burning. Traditions vary from place to place, but the main idea is that these things have to be kept out at all costs, and it was once not even considered safe to go outside after sunset, the only way to keep the prowling goblins away being a lit torch kept clutched close at all times. On the day after Epiphany, there is a celebration called Ta Phota, during which priests go about cleansing each home with Holy Water, and the creatures are said to flee while singing, “Fly, let us fly away! For here comes the fat priest with his holy water and his crook and he will sprinkle us, and so, defile us.”

You see this is where the San Antonio Pastors that want to ban Krampus have lost their opportunity. They could go door to door to spread Christmas cheer rather than condemning tradition. Praying Krampus away is a little silly when there are real Satanists to pray away.

A Satanic display erected near a Christmas Nativity scene on city property near the New Hampshire State House was vandalized and later removed from the site a few weeks ago.

The display, which centered on a black statue of a pagan god, was initially attacked shortly after it was erected while organizers were eating dinner across the street after the ceremony.

Just to be sure that character depicted in the display was not Krampus.

The city of Concord, which is the state capital, issued a permit for the Satanic display. But the mayor said earlier this week that while he disapproves of vandalism he also wishes city officials hadn’t issued a permit for the display. 

He believed that the statue was not put on display to show religious equity but to promote an anti-religious political agenda.

The Satanic Temple was behind the demonic display,

The Satanic Temple unveiled a black goat-headed statue representing the pagan god Baphomet with a blue stole around its shoulders similar to what Catholic priests and clerics in certain other Christian denominations wear. 

The base of the statue included what the Satanic Temple calls its seven tenets, which include calls for “compassion,” “empathy,” “reason,” and “freedom” as well as autonomy. 

The Satanic Temple is a religion and that expressing its belief system is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. 

This is an example of why Europeans hate what has happened to Krampus and its Christmas significance in the United States -- there are many in this country who associate Krampus with Satan, when he truly is a tradition that gets as s much respect and reverence as Santa Claus.

But lets not argue over apples and oranges – children are said to have visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads at Christmas. I am sure Clement C. Moore or Bloomingdales had no reason to include a half goat half man monster, man-eating trolls, marauding goblins, giant evil shapeshifters, riding zombie horses but it is only natural when the weather outside is frightful.

So as you are sitting down to Christmas dinner and unwrapping your presents, no matter how much that relative is annoying you, no matter how much your kids are driving you nuts, just imagine it could be worse, you could have a horned demon at your door ready to beat you to a pulp.