A driver who was waiting in vain in Färbergraben to get through to Oberanger impatiently honked his horn after just ten minutes – but the ghost that was currently passing through Sendlinger Straße was far from over. A horde of frightening figures were out and about at the Krampus Run in the city center on Sunday afternoon, and when the driver honked, a number of participants were still waiting at the end of Dultstrasse to finally be allowed to run and turn onto Sendlinger Strasse.
More than 400 participants from 31 traditional groups from Germany, Austria and South Tyrol took part this year, reported the head of the organization Tom Bierbaumer. That was significantly more than in 2022, when the ritual was revived after a corona-related interruption with almost 300 participants from 20 groups.
Bierbaumer is chairman of “Sparifankerl Pass”. The name stands for “group of devils” in dialect, and that’s what the figures that haunted the city on Sunday look like: wrapped in thick, shaggy fur, masked with snarling wooden faces and turned horns on their heads, and also equipped with clanging bells the back.
They look scary…
(Photo: Catherina Hess)
… the fearsome wooden masks…
(Photo: Catherina Hess)
… but there are still lovely people inside.
(Photo: Catherina Hess)
Since 2001, Sparifankerl Pass has been trying to maintain the Advent custom, which is particularly widespread in the Alpine region. While Santa Claus rewards the good children, Krampus punishes the bad ones. The Krampus does not appear alone, but in packs, in complete contrast to the comparatively harmless farmhand Ruprecht, who is particularly known in northern Germany as St. Nicholas’ companion.
Who is the wildest? A good 400 people are taking part in the Krampus Run this year.
(Photo: Catherina Hess)
The wondrous creatures come from Germany, Austria and South Tyrol.
(Photo: Catherina Hess)
This year, several thousand people once again flanked the path of the wild horde and led their activities in a somewhat orderly manner, from Sendlinger Strasse via Rindermarkt and Kripperlmarkt, around Alter Peter to Marienplatz and into Kaufingerstrasse to the cathedral.
Apparently not everyone is frightened by the creepy creatures…
(Photo: Catherina Hess)
… quite the opposite.
(Photo: Catherina Hess)
But be careful: if you’re too cheeky, the Krampus will end up taking you away.
(Photo: Catherina Hess)
In the crowd of shaggy monsters, customs experts recognized not only Krampus figures, but also so-called Perchten, which can be distinguished primarily by their horns.
“Strictly speaking, the Perchten aren’t allowed to take part,” says organizer Bierbaumer: They usually only appear on the rough nights between Christmas and Epiphany to drive away the winter. After the massive snowfall of the previous weekend, they were certainly very welcome.