Austria struggles with marauding Krampus demons gone rogue
Police record rising violence and drunkenness in traditional folkloric festivities
Goat-horned half-demons with scraggy coats of fur, lolling tongues and threatening bundles of birch branches are no one’s idea of a welcome guest on a winter’s night.
In Austria, however, the figure of the Krampus has been part of pre-Christmas folklore for centuries, with men in costumes roaming the streets to scare children and grown-ups from the end of November to the middle of December.