Today is Saint Nicholas Day: During the night Saint Nicholas checked up on the children if they were good, polite and helpful last year and if so, he filled the children's boots with gifts and sweets. Saint Nicholas is accompanied by Krampus, a demon-like creature, who warns and punishes bad children by putting a tree branch in their boots. On Sunday I discovered this advertisement in front of a candy store, it prompts the passers-by to buy sweets for Saint Nicholas Day.
In Austria today is not only the 2nd Sunday of Advent, but also Saint Nicholas Day. During the night Saint Nicholas filled the children's boots with gifts and sweets, and at the same time checked up on the children if they were good, polite and helpful last year. Saint Nicholas is usually accompanied by Krampus, a demon-like creature warning and punishing bad children. If the children were not good, he puts a tree branch in their boots. The K. u. K. Court Confectionary Bakery Demel shows the "team" in one of its windows. Click here for Austrian actor Christoph Waltz's explanation of Krampus.
