Folklore for Krampus dates back thousands of years, predating Christianity and falling sometime within ancient pagan mythology. Anthropologist John J. Honigmann believes that Krampus dates back to the Horned God of the Witches who was eventually bastardized in the horned devil of christianity. Krampus was defiled into horned devils by the time they first began to be portrayed as such in the 11th century stage productions.
The Horned God
Traditional hand carved wooden mask of a Krampus costume
The bastardized version of Krampus in which he is portrayed as the devil
Originally, Krampus and St. Nichola were seen to be working together; St. Nicholas rewarding the well-behaved children and Krampus punishing the naughty ones. But, as pagan traditions, places of worship and rituals were adopted and changed by Christiany, so too was the story of Krampus.
The long-lost tradition has been remembered in many areas across the world, including Europe, the United States and Austria. In some places, men dress as Krampus, drink heavily and run the streets scaring children, beating the delinquent ones with sticks. The Krampus costume is traditionally made of hand-carved wooden masks and suits or sheep or goat leather with cowbells attached to the hips. In the United States and Austria, parades are held in honor of Krampus to depict the upcoming holiday season.
Learning Wicca and the Tradition of the Craft 