MERRY KRAMPUS: ALTERNATIVE HOLIDAY PRAXIS IN THE CONTEMPORARY UNITED STATES
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Date
2019-09-18
Authors
Peterson, Kirk
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Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Since the early twenty-first century, individuals in the US have discovered the enduring winter tradition from Alpen Austria known as Krampusnacht. These events center around the figure of the Krampus, a beast-like, punishing “devil” that accompanies St. Nicholas on December 5th, the eve of his feast day. By 2010, groups of people in US cities were staging their own Krampusnacht processions in downtown areas, referencing the European enactments while simultaneously innovating their embodiments to meaningfully interact with the Christmas season in the United States. Participation in these events increases annually and the Krampus figure’s presence online and in popular media is on the rise. This thesis explores how Krampus-associated traditional material is being practiced, altered, and transmitted across various fields of public culture in the US as a response to the perceived over-commodification of winter festival opportunity.
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Keywords
Christmas, Festival, Holiday, Krampus, Praxis, Public Culture