The bogeyman and his variations
-
PHOTO WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
An actor representing Father Fouettard in Alsace, in 1956. He is often equipped with a whip, chains or a bag, or even all three at the same time.
-
GETTY IMAGES ARCHIVE PHOTOS
In the Netherlands, an armada of Zwarte Piet escorts Saint Nicholas. Their stern side has been mutated into a festive demeanor.
1/2
The bogeyman is the most well-known Christmas antagonistic figure, found in celebrations in northeastern France, Switzerland, Belgium and some areas of Germanic culture. He takes part in the parade of the legendary character of Saint Nicolas (one of the inspirations for Santa Claus), between December 5 and 6. Depending on the place or country, the sinister character takes on various names and appearances. In the Alsatian tradition, he is called, for example, Hans Trapp, presented in the guise of a rustic rustic, equipped with chains, a whip or a bag to remove disobedient children. In Belgium and the Netherlands, he is named Zwarte Piet and painted black; folkloric use which ended up triggering controversy. He often softened, taking on the role of merry mountebank instead.
The Krampus
-
PHOTO JOE KLAMAR, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
With the Krampus, howls guaranteed in the presence of toddlers
-
PHOTO JOE KLAMAR, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
The mask and the costume, evoking a goat-like demon, have a strong satanic connotation.
-
PHOTO JOE KLAMAR, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
The tradition is still strongly rooted in Austria.
1/3
If the bogeyman was a Pokémon, Krampus would be his evolution. Half-beast, half-demon, this frightening creature is found above all in the festivities of Germanic countries, especially in Austria, or in Eastern Europe. According to tradition, while the wise children receive gifts, the turbulent inherit punishments or warnings from him. The mythological creature parades alongside Saint Nicolas, at the beginning of December, in the streets of the cities. Despite its scary appearance, it’s here to stay: in 2020, the Krampus was listed as a UNESCO Intangible Heritage Site.
Magical, Iceland?
-
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY VISIT REYKJAVIK
The giant witch Grýla, a few Yule Lads and the giant cat Jólakötturinn, whose paths are best not crossed during the Holidays.
-
PHOTO WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Models representing the ogress Grýla and her husband parade in Reykjavik.
1/2
Iceland is draped in pretty magical colors throughout the month of December, with 13 elves playing the role of Santas. But beyond the holiday lights, there’s also a dark side to national folklore, with a trio of Grýla, Yule Lads and Yule Cat. The first is a giant witch and ogress whose favorite dish is cooked unwise children. The second are the children of Grýla, boorish men arriving in town one by one 13 days before Christmas; depending on the locality, they distribute gifts, rotten potatoes for the little tanners or steal food. As for the Yule Cat (Jólakötturinn), it is a huge cat that devours those who do not wear new clothes for the holiday season.
The Kallikatzaros, little Greek demons
PHOTO WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
An illustration depicting a Kallikantzaro.
Rather unknown, the Kallikantzaros belong to Greek folklore. Living underground, they saw through the roots of the world in order to see it crumble, before emerging to the surface shortly before Christmas to torment good people. The appearance of these little demons, similar to goblins or evil elves, varies according to the representations. At the beginning of January, they return to their galleries to resume their work… but according to legend, the underground tree has regenerated, and everything has to be started again, the scenario repeating itself ad infinitum every year.
The Grinch
PHOTO JOSEPH PREZIOSO, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
The Grinch was imagined in the 1950s.
Like Ebenezer Scrooge, character of Charles Dickens, the Grinch (or Le Grincheux) shows a deep aversion for the holiday season, which he wishes to sabotage. He first appeared in the illustrated children’s book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Dr Seuss, before inviting himself in front of the cameras. He’s one of the few popular North American anti-Santa Claus figures to come out on top, but also contextualized with a moral and explanation for his malicious behavior.
What social role for these characters?
Over the years, the terrifying side of these characters has become dulled, even vanished. Thus, in the Netherlands, Père Fouettard has turned into a festive mountebank. In Quebec, and more generally in North America, this type of antagonistic Christmas figure has never really taken root. There were certainly the elves who, at the start, spied on the behavior of children in the cottages before going to report to the North Pole, underlines the psychoeducator Solène Bourque, but today they are confined to the roles of pranksters.
“They are the only characters in Quebec who could have a less positive connotation. We have more positive representations, like the Fairy of the Stars, we are more in benevolent education, ”she says, emphasizing how these manifestations reflect the values conveyed in a society. Characters of the Bonhomme Sept Heures type have become rare, their summons not being recommended by specialists.
“They still have interesting functions, they connect the child to the shadow side of the human. Having a less positive character can suggest that we are not perfect, sometimes there can be a little Grinch in our hearts, it is something real that the child will be able to deal with. The big trend is to sweeten story endings, where kids pick up on a certain moral,” she says.
The psychoeducator does not see this tendency with a bad eye, if the negative characters learn a lesson in the end; but having very negative and threatening faces, “is not something that children need in their development”.
Sociologist Jean-Philippe Warren notes that figures antagonistic to Santa Claus like those of Père Fouettard quickly disappeared from French-Canadian culture, while the period of festivities molded itself to the logic of a consumer society. “We will rather try to convince people to have a moderate approach to Christmas, a carnival celebration of excess, by virtue not of the punishment brought by the bogeyman, but rather of other values, such as sharing, simplicity and especially at this time, ecological values,” he notes.