December 24, 2024 • 34 mins
Buck does a history deep dive on Saint Nicholas and the longest winter: Battle of the Bulge and the epic story of WWII’s most decorated platoon.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This special edition Christmas Eve Show is brought to you
by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Welcome and
thanks for joining us for a special Christmas Eve edition
of Clay and Buck. Since it's Christmas time and this
is our Christmas Eve Show, let's talk about Santa Claus.
Take you on a little journey around the world with
(00:22):
how Santa Claus is celebrated today, but also the history
of Santa Claus. There was a real guy that Santa
is based on, and I think we should all know
about him because there are some lessons from the real
Santa Claus.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Apart from the.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Reindeers and the jolly red nose and the suit of
red with white fur and all this stuff, and the
bag full of toys and the Naughty and Nice list
and all that stuff, there's a real history to this.
Let's dive in a first, it's fascinting to see how
Santa Claus who started off and we're going to get
into this inspired by Saint Nick, a fourth century bishop
(01:03):
known for his generosity, but today there are many variations
on this, like in the Netherlands, he's known as Ciner Klaus.
Center Claus is depicted as a stately bishop dressed in
red robes, and he arrives by boat from Spain, accompanied
by his helpers known as Petin Dutch, children leave out
(01:25):
their shoes with carrots or hey for Center Claus's horse,
and in return he leaves them, yes, of course, small
gifts or candies. The Dutch celebration takes place on November
I'm sorry, December fifth, of course Saint Nicholas Eve, rather.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Than on Christmas.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
In Germany and Austria, Santa has a counterpart named chris
Kind or the christ Child, representing the spirit of Christmas.
Chris Kind is off for christ kinned, I guess, I
guess it's Christkind. I don't speak the Germans that will yeah,
often portrayed as a young angelic faith You're sometimes accompanied
by Saint Nicholas and together they bring gifts to children
(02:05):
on Christmas Eve.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Germans also recognize someone named connect Ruprecht, a stern companion
of Saint Nicholas, who carries a switch a stick that
he can hit people with to remind children who behaves.
It seems varied.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
German they have a special mean man who travels with
Santa Claus. They hit the children who don't speak properly
to the parents, and don't engineer all their cause perfectly.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
And all that other good stuff, you know. Heading further
north to Scandinavia, we meet Julupuchi, the Finnish Santa Claus.
This name translates to Christmas Goat, which is a nod
to the ancient tradition where mischievous goat figures were part
of winter festivities. Today, Julupuki is a warm and friendly
(02:52):
figure who lives in Laplan, near the Arctic Circle, and
personally delivers presence to children. Then, of course there's Italy
yay hey he Monngorno, where children await La Belefana. Unlike Senna,
La Belefana is a kind hearted old woman who travels
on a broomstick, which is weird because we think of
(03:12):
a broomstick as something for a witch. But La Befana
is a very nice lady. She visits homes on the
night of January fifth, filling children's stockings with treats or
cold depending on, of course, are you a good boy
or a better boy?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
You know how it goes.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
The story of La Belafana ties actually into the epiphany
of the day. The Three Wise Men visited Baby Jesus.
A fun story about that. As you know, Balthazar was
the name of one of the three Wise Men, and
it's also the name of a size of wine bottle.
And it is also the name of a very famous
(03:49):
restaurant in Lower Manhattan. For those of you who are
inclined very good French rout, I've been to Balthazar a
few times. In Russia, Santa Claus takes the form of
Dead Muros or grandfather Frost. Dead Mutus is accompanied by
his granddaughter Snigroschka, the snowmaiden. She sounds like fun. Together
(04:10):
they deliver gifts during New Year's celebrations rather than Christmas,
which is often observed in January later later than the
Catholic side of things because of the Orthodox calendar. In Japan,
Christmas is a relatively new holiday, but the idea of
Santa Claus is less rooted in tradition. Of course, in
religion and history and more commercial, Santa is known as
(04:32):
Yes Santa San and he brings joy, but the focus
is often on spreading happiness and enjoying festive meals like
Christmas cake and delicious fried chicken, things like that. In
a Mexico. The Christmas season has all kinds of vibrant traditions,
but Santa Claus isn't always the star. Instead, children wait
(04:52):
for losreas Magos, the three wise men who bring gifts
on January sixth, celebrating the Epiphany. Santa, however, has it's
grown so much in popularity in recent years, and it's
blending more and more with the traditional customs. So it's
fascinating how Santa became this big, big thing around the world.
(05:12):
It really is based on a bishop from the Eastern
Roman Empire in the third century AD. He was born
right around two seventy at two seventy a d. Notice
I don't say CE because it's AD, because the calendar
is set up around the birth of Jesus, so one
doesn't have to worship Jesus be a Christian carabininity of
(05:35):
that to accept that that is what the calendar.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Is just a little side note there. I really don't
like this.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
CE nonsense and BCE nonsense.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
It is before Christ. It is the year of our
Lord Ana Domini. AD.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Anyway, third century AD was a time of crisis in
the Roman world. The empire was vast, stretching from Britain
to Egypt and from Spain to Mesopotamia, which we all
know now is course Iraq. But its strength came from size.
It also created a lot of vulnerabilities the Eastern Roman provinces,
(06:07):
which were actually the richest and most urbanized. We often
think of, of course, the Roman Empire based in Rome,
and so it must have been that that's where all
the action was. This is true for a time, but
particularly at the latter period of the Roman Empire, really latter,
while the final few hundred years it was the Eastern
Roman Empire that was far more wealthy and sophisticated what
(06:30):
became the Byzantine Empire later on, and Constantinople of course
the name of the city name for the emperor Constantine.
But so the third century is often called the Crisis
of the third century because between two thirty five and
two eighty four AD there were constant civil wars, economic instability,
(06:53):
and external invasions for the Roman Empire. More than twenty
emperors rose and fell in quick succession during this period,
many of them meeting really violent, nasty ends. And because
of the Eastern Roman Empire's closeness to a couple of
major rivals, including the Assassinid Persian Empire. They were under
(07:17):
a constant threat. In fact, you go back and you
look at this time, there are some periods where the Romans,
let's you say, we're lucky to maintain what they had
in the face of particularly powerful enemies in this part
of the region. It was amid this chaos that reforms
began to take root. The emperor Diocletian came to power
(07:40):
into eighty four AD, just a little bit after Saint Nicholas.
Santa We're going to get back to Santa gonna get
back to Santa. Buck is waving, as Trump would say,
he's waving. He's telling his history story. He's weaving all
over the place, probably the best history. So stay put.
Diocletian divided the empire into manageable regions and established something
(08:01):
known as the tetrarchy, which was for co emperors and
junior emperors ruling different parts of the empire. The system
evolved over time, but it laid the groundwork for the
formal distinction that would be made between the Western and
Eastern Roman Empire, which I was just talking about. So
it was a period of profound change and a lot
of division and war and just you know, third century
(08:24):
was crazy stuff going on in the Roman Empire, and
that then brings me to Saint nick one of the well.
People don't think of him necessarily this way, but the
guy who you know, Santa Claus, is more famous really
than almost any Roman emperor. Maybe not Julius Caesar, but
probably Santa Claus comes from Saint Nicholas of Bari. His
(08:47):
life is a testament to faith, generosity, and compassion. So
he was also known as Nicholas of Myra. Born in
the third century, like I said, ad right around two
seventy in the city of Patisara. This is in modern
day Turkey. Historians will refer to this as Asia Minor,
but Asia Minor is effectively modern day Turkey. So his
(09:12):
parents were devout Christians and wealthy, but they taught young
Nicholas to have a deep sense of faith and a
profound commitment to helping others. Both of his parents is tragic.
They died of plague. That was a thing that used
to happen back then, just people be masked death from
the plague. This happen when Nicholas was very young and
(09:34):
left him an orphan. But he did have a substantial
inheritance because of his wealthy parents and the way that
he reacted to all This would set the course of
his life because Saint Nick, not then of course known
as Saint Nick, but Nicolas, chose to use this wealth
that was left to him by his parents to help
(09:55):
other people, especially the poor and the vulnerable. So he
devoted his life essentially to charity, and this would lead
to some of the legends that would grow around him
that would turn into the Santa Claus of today, and
one of the most famous stories recounts how he would
he secretly provided the dowries for three impoverished sisters. Their
(10:17):
father was unable to afford the dowry. Remember, dowry was
the bride price, or the price that the bride had
to pay to the family of the groom, different in
different traditions, but essentially for the upkeep and taking.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Care of this bride for all over life.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
So they faced the grim prospect their father did of
selling them into servitude because they couldn't afford to pay
a dowry to any potential suitors husbands. So under the
cover of night, Nicholas through bags of gold through their window,
or some people have suggested through their chimney. But I
think it was the window saving the family from this
(10:53):
awful fate of having to sell their daughters into servitude
to be servants forever, instead of being able to marry
and have their own family. So this was one of
the acts of legendary kindness that led to the legend
of Saint Nick and the gift giving that we see
during Christmas time. But Nicholas was incredibly devoted to God
(11:17):
and had a deep faith. He became a priest and
then leader bishop of Mira, which was a prominent city,
as I said, in Asia Minor then or what historians
call Asia Minor, but it was in an area of
the Eastern Roman Empire modern day Turkey, and he became
a well known bishop for his defense of Orthodoxy and
(11:38):
protecting his flock, protecting his people. His leadership was not
without challenges. It was during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian,
remember mentioned Diocletian, and Christians were actually facing severe persecution,
so Nicholas himself was actually put in prison for his
faith the faith and despite the horrific conditions of his incarceration,
(12:02):
he remained steadfast and encouraged his fellow believers to endure
and remain true to their convictions. After the period of
persecution ended, Nicholas attended the First Council of Nicia in
three twenty five AD. This council, which was convened by
the Emperor Constantine Constantinople, right the great city of the
Eastern Roman Empire, was pivotal in defining Christian Christian doctrine.
(12:25):
Excuse me, you know the Nicene Creed for example, right,
we all know where that comes from. And according to
some accounts, Nicholas was very vocal in these debates, particularly
regarding the heretical teachings of Arius, who was somebody who
denied the divinity of Christ. So this was a very
serious heresy. Legend even suggests that Nicholas is zeal for
(12:48):
the defensive Orthodoxy led him to confront areas physically, though
people say.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Maybe this is not true.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
It's more legend than history, but it sounds good in
the story, right Regardless Saint Nick's presence, I keep wanting
to say that Santa Claus, but he wasn't Santa Claus.
Then he was Bishop Nicholas of Myra. His presence at
Nicea underscored his role as a defender of the Christian faith.
But yes, he had major theological contributions, and he's a
(13:17):
huge saint. He is the best known saint really of
the Orthodox, of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church. But Nicholas's
life was marked by countless acts of compassion and service,
so he was also an advocate on behalf of those
unjustly accused. There was a story where he intervened to
(13:38):
save three innocent men who had been condemned to death.
Nicholas confronted the executioner, halted the proceedings, and ensured that
justice prevailed. So there are these stories that highlight his
courage and his unwavering commitment to righteousness, to truth, to decency,
to justice. He passed away on December sixth, three p.
(13:58):
Forty three AD in my and his death marked the
end of a remarkable earthly life, but of course the
legacy was just beginning. His tomb soon became the site
of major pilgrimage. In fact, pilgrims would come from near
and far to venerate Saint Nick, drawn by the reports
of miracles that were occurring in his resting place. In
(14:19):
ten eighty seven, fearing desecration of his remains during the
Muslim conquest of Lycia, sailors from Bari in Italy transported
his relics to their city, So today the Basilica di
San Nicola Inbari houses his remains, and the city has
become a major center of devotion to Saint Nicholas. So
over the centuries, his reputation grew and his image evolved
(14:41):
into a symbol of Christian generosity and kindness. In Eastern
Christianity he celebrated as a wonder worker, while in the
West his legacy merged with local traditions to the figure
that we have come to note today as Santa Claus.
The transformation from Bishop of Maira to the jolly figure
of Christian legend may seem a Christmas legend, rather may
(15:01):
seem distant from the actual guy who lived then, but
at its core is still the spirit of giving and
concern for others that defined his life. Saint Nicholas is
also remembered as a unifying figure in the Christian tradition.
Both Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches honor him as
a saint, and his feast day, December sixth, is celebrated
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with joy and reverence around the world. So the legacy
of Santa Claus is an incredible thing, and it's something
that around this Christmas time as we think about the
birth of Jesus and we those of us who are
the Christian faith, reflect on the scriptures and the way
that this all came together. It's also interesting to know
(15:45):
the history of this great Saint, Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus,
Jolly Saint Nick, really was all just about giving, supporting, loving,
and serving others. The ultimate Christmas story, the ultimate Christmas legacy.
I hope you enjoyed our discussion of the real Santa Clause.
I gotta say, Santa has just always been a favorite
(16:06):
of mine, Jolly Saint Nick. It's one of the most
wondrous things about being a kid, is how amazing this
whole concept of Santa Claus is and how much joy
it brings to Christmas. What are the great stories that
we celebrate as part of any holiday, And by the.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Way, I know, of course, for those of us who are.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
Christian, there's the cresh scenes and the birth of Jesus,
and that's really what Christmas is about. But Santa creates
an additional fun story for children to celebrate a great
time of year, celebrate kindness and giving and Christian virtues
and so things that are all tied in together. Anyway,
(16:53):
I just think Santa is amazing, so many great movies,
so much great culture.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
And fun as a result of it.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
So I thought doing a little tour through history of
how Santa came to be really one of the great
and timeless characters of all time, of all history.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
And I know.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
We could talk more maybe another time, about the reindeer
and the rest of somehow these things, some of how
these things all.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Got added in.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
And for me, if you're asking the best, the best
Christmas movie that involves the Santa.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Claus, wouldn't it have to be Miracle on thirty fourth Street.
Wouldn't that have to be the one? Welcome back to
Clay and Buck.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
Since we are here on Christmas Eve, I thought we
could take a moment to go back in time and
talk about one of the most famous Christmas stories of
all time. No, not Miracle on thirty fourth Street, not
Die Hard, whatever your favorite Christmas movie may be, but
(17:57):
the story of George Washington, the Delaware I'm want to
do something of a theater of the mind, if you
will a little bit storytelling on this hopefully a perfect
thing for you to be listening to as you're driving
to wherever you're going to be celebrating Christmas tomorrow and
to just kick back and relax for a moment. So
(18:20):
we all know the basics of the story. But let's
go back in time together. The year is seventeen seventy six.
America's revolution is hanging by a thread. Now, you have
to remember the second half of seventeen seventy six, leading
up to Washington's crossing of the Delaware was a critical
(18:42):
period and a desperate one for the American revolutionaries. The
colonies formerly declared independence on as we know, July fourth,
seventeen seventy six, Independence Day, and entered this new phase
where they were facing down one of the most formidable,
really the most formidable war machine in the entire world
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at the time. So the fledgling Continental Army had to
deal with this challenge and take on the might of
the British and their Hessian auxiliaries mercenaries. Between July and
December of that year, the revolution's survival hung in the balance,
as defeat after defeat pushed General George Washington's army to
(19:27):
the brink of collapse. Yet from these trials emerged incredible
courage and moments of strategic brilliance that would eventually ensure
the revolution's continuation and success. So in the summer of
seventeen seventy six, though none of that was assured, not
in the least. Second Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia July fourth,
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they adopt the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson,
formerly severing ties between the American Colonies and Great Britain.
It was a bull statement to the world at the time,
proclaiming the colonies free and independent, no longer under the
rule of King George the Third.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
This was risky, of course.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
The colonies committed themselves into a rebellion and their leaders
faced well death if they were to be on the
wrong side of this, and they had to take to
the battlefield. As we know, despite the optimism surrounding the
Declaration of Independence, the reality of the military struggle was bleak.
(20:31):
In July, British General William Howe launched a massive campaign
to capture New York City, a strategic point that controlled
access to the Hudson River. Howe's forces were formidable, consisting
around thirty two thousand British regulars and those Hessian mercenaries
will talk more about them. This was the largest expeditionary
force that Britain had ever assembled at that time, and
(20:54):
facing them was just George Washington's Continental Army, inexperience and
poor early equipped troops, about twenty thousand of them in total.
So the British assault began on August twenty seventh, seventeen
seventy six, at the Battle of Long Island, which is
also known as the Battle of Brooklyn Heights. The Continental
Army was routed. How's superior tactics the skill of his
(21:19):
soldiers overwhelming numbers were just too much for Washington and
his forces. They were flanked and had to retreat ignominiously
in the moment in a struck. A stroke of luck
and ingenuity, Washington managed to save his army by evacuating
them overnight during a across the East River under the
(21:40):
cover of fog. So that defeat on Long Island then
led to Washington's army being driven out of New York City,
and by mid September the British occupied that city and
further defeats followed the Battle of Harlem Heights for example,
on September sixteenth was a minor success for the Americans,
gave a little bit of a boost to their morale,
(22:01):
but generally speaking, the campaign was going poorly. On October
twenty eighth, there was the Battle of White Plains and
Washington was again forced to retreat. This then led to
Washington's army having to retreat across New Jersey. I mean,
there was the fall of nearby Fort Lee, and they
realized they had to just create distance between them and
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the British before it was too late. The retreat across
New Jersey was a dark and desperate chapter for the Americans.
Washington's army was in the roughest of situations in terms
of their materiel and the morale that they had, so
by December, Washington had fewer than five thousand men. The
(22:44):
Continental Congress fled the city of Philadelphia to Baltimore, and
things appeared bleak. But then George had a brilliant idea
and put it into action. General George Washington's Continental Army
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is in a terrible state, bloodied, battered, and would be
broken were it not for their indefatigable leader, George Washington himself.
They've suffered many defeats, these rebels against what was then
the most powerful empire in the world. The British morale
(23:26):
is low, the winter snows have hit hard, and the
dream of an independent United States seems to be slowly
but surely evaporating. George Washington, ever, resolute, refuses to give in, and,
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recognizing that he needed a change of fortune, he planned
a daring and desperate gamble. He decided to lead his
men across the icy Delaware River and strike at the
encamped forces in Trenton, New Jersey, including the fearsome Hessian soldiers.
(24:08):
These mercenaries who've been hired by the British Empire. They
were Germans in order to fight against the colonials. This
was more than just a proverbial roll of the dice.
If Washington and his men failed, there was the very
real possibility the revolution could be lost. But if they succeeded,
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it could turn things around and give them momentum with
a battlefield victory that would inspire the cause of the
revolution to endure. We can think back to then, what
did Washington say, Probably something like, men, the hour is
upon us. I know you are cold, I know you
(24:55):
are tired. But to make history in this great new
nation of ours is going to be costly and difficult.
It is not the easy fights that will be remembered,
because it is not the easy fights that will matter. Tonight,
we crossed the Delaware and march on Trenton This our
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cause of liberty demands, and together we shall prevail. We
shall overcome this situation. Now, this crossing that Washington engaged
in was no small feat. As we know, the Delaware
River in wintertime is swift of current, treacherous, the night
(25:40):
dark as pitch. Washington divided his forces into three groups.
While two failed to cross the river because of the
icy fury, he led the central column himself. Of this,
of course memorialized in the timeless painting of Washington crossing
the Delaware. The water is frigid, the ice jagged and unrelenting.
(26:06):
Many of Washington's men have no shoes. In fact, imagine this.
It is wintertime and their feet are wrapped in rags.
Yet they press on, driven by Washington's leadership and the
hope of achieving liberty for the nascent United States of America.
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You can imagine soldiers whispering to themselves under their breath
trying to summon whatever courage they could as they pushed
ice floes away from their boat. Mind you, at this time,
in this period, many of these men would have been
unable to swim, and so not only did they risk
(26:53):
hypothermia within minutes of falling into the icy water had
their rickety boat tipped over, but they very well could
have drowned even if they were within the ability to
get to the shore had they been able to swim.
At the helm of the boat, of course, is George
Washington himself. His presence steals the men against the biting
(27:17):
cold and the sense of doubt that this could be
the end. If they fail, perhaps there will be tribunals
and the hangman's noose for some of those we now
know as founding fathers of the greatest country in the
history of the world. It's almost four am when the
(27:37):
Army of Washington completes its crossing, and against all odds,
somehow they made it. But it's not just the crossing
of the Delaware that was so critical. Another part, a
nine mile march in the snow for men who would
be poorly clothed and prepared for this, That had to
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be the next thing on the agenda, and the march
is grueling. Soldiers were collapsing from exhaustion, hunger, and exposure
to the elements. Yet the army moved on step by
step with the promise of victory, keeping them on their feet.
Washington must have turned to his men, courage. The dawn
(28:26):
is near, he would have said, Trenton awaits at dawn.
The Continental Army finally arrives after their grueling march outside
on the outskirts of Trenton. The Hessians were caught completely
by surprise and immediately had to scramble to arms to arms.
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Although they would have said it in German, Washington then
recognized that the time had come, raised his sword, rallied
his troops, and they charged. Hold the line. Washington would
have said, forward, men, forward, The battle is swift.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Lasted less than an hour.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Washington's army captured nearly one thousand Hessian prisoners, took minimal
losses to his force, and it was a stunning victory,
a beacon of hope for the fledgling American Revolution. Washington
would have been patting his men on the shoulders and
(29:35):
cheering for each other at this enormous turn of fortune.
For the army of the Continental Continental Army at this point,
and on this cold December morning, they would have recognized
that things were changing. George Washington's leadership, courage and determination
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had carried the Continental Army through another ordeal, a tremendous hardship,
and ultimately it would lead to what would have seemed
an incredibly improbable outcome, a victory over the greatest empire
of the time and the beginnings of the greatest nation
in all history. A very merry Christmas. Indeed, we'll be
(30:21):
right back. When we think of Christmas, we think of
so many great things, a lot of jolly stuff as well,
like Santa himself. But there's another side to some of
the lore. I wanted to spend a moment on that now,
Like the crampis. Yeah, sure, Santa Claus has twinkling lights
and cheerful songs, but in certain parts of Europe the
(30:43):
festive season carries a more mischievous figure with it as well.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
Crampus.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
This fearsome creature, half goat and half demon, has been
a part of Christmas folklore for centuries, offering a chilling
contrast to the warmth of the holiday season. The origins
of Crampus can be traced back to ancient pre Christian
traditions in the Alpine regions of Europe. His name is
derived from the German word crampin meaning claw, and his
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terrifying appearance with long horns, fangs, and a llulling tongue
believed to echo pagan representations of wild spirits and fertility demons.
These figures were often associated with the dark winter months,
when life seemed more precarious and mysterious forces were thought
to roam the earth. As Christianity spread through Europe, pagan
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customs were gradually incorporated into Christian practices. Crampus was entwined
with the story of Saint Nicholas, the benevolent figure who
rewarded well behaved children. When Saint Nicholas offered gifts and blessings,
Crampis became his sinister counterpart, punishing naughty children with switches
and chains, or the most frightening tales, carrying them off.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
In a sack.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
And then there's Crampus knocked the night of the Beast
that celibate on December fifth, well before Christmas, fortunately, but
on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day. On this night,
men dressed as Crompus parade, or rather as the Crompus
parade through towns and villages, rattling chains, brandishing bundles of
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birch branches, and playfully frightening onlookers. The processions are known
as Crampuslafa or Crampis runs. They are boisterous, chaotic celebrations
that combine fear and fun. Revelers may be chased or
teased by these crompuses, but the night is also an
opportunity to revel in the thrill of the supernatural. But
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in many ways, Crampus was a tool for moral lessons.
The duality of Saint Nicholas and Crampus represented the carrot
and stick approach to discipline, especially for young children. Be
good and you'll be rewarded. Be bad and you'll face
the consequences the crompus. In fact, parents would invoke Crampus
to encourage children to behave, reminding them that the creature might.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Visit if they don't behave.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
During the twentieth century, Crampus's terrifying image fell out of
favor in Austria, Germany and other countries. The Catholic Church
viewed the Crompus as inappropriate or even subversive. The tradition
was suppressed, but it never entirely disappeared, and folklore has
a way of enduring. So in the late twentieth century
the Crompus began to surface again, and now the Crompus
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has experienced a resurgence, thanks in part to global interest
in folklore and alternative holiday traditions. Crompus has actually become
something of a pop culture icon over in Europe, and
he appears in films, books, and holiday events throughout the world.
What was once a localized Alpine custom for certain parts
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of northern and Eastern Europe is now celebrated as a
quirky and sometimes spooky counterpart to the joys of Christmas,
and Crampus is enduring a pear. It really lies in
his ability to balance the festive with the frightening. He
reminds us that the holiday season isn't just about warmth
and light. It also acknowledges the shadows and the struggles.
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By embracing Crampus, we honor a tradition that adds depth
to our understanding of the Christmas season, one that is
as much about reflection and redemption as it is about celebration,
So as you hang your stockings and trim your tree,
take a moment to remember the dark companion of Saint Nicholas.
Whether you find him terrifying or thrilling, the crampus adds
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a dash of the uncanny to the magic of Christmas.
This special edition Christmas Eve Show is brought to you
by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Welcome and
thanks for joining us for a special Christmas Eve edition
of Clay and Buck. Since it's Christmas time and this
is our Christmas Eve Show, let's talk about Santa Claus.
Take you on a little journey around the world with
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how Santa Claus is celebrated today, but also the history
of Santa Claus. There was a real guy that Santa
is based on, and I think we should all know
about him because there are some lessons from the real
Santa Claus.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Apart from the.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Reindeers and the jolly red nose and the suit of
red with white fur and all this stuff, and the
bag full of toys and the Naughty and Nice list
and all that stuff, there's a real history to this.
Let's dive in a first, it's fascinting to see how
Santa Claus who started off and we're going to get
into this inspired by Saint Nick, a fourth century bishop
(01:03):
known for his generosity, but today there are many variations
on this, like in the Netherlands, he's known as Ciner Klaus.
Center Claus is depicted as a stately bishop dressed in
red robes, and he arrives by boat from Spain, accompanied
by his helpers known as Petin Dutch, children leave out
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their shoes with carrots or hey for Center Claus's horse,
and in return he leaves them, yes, of course, small
gifts or candies. The Dutch celebration takes place on November
I'm sorry, December fifth, of course Saint Nicholas Eve, rather.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Than on Christmas.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
In Germany and Austria, Santa has a counterpart named chris
Kind or the christ Child, representing the spirit of Christmas.
Chris Kind is off for christ kinned, I guess, I
guess it's Christkind. I don't speak the Germans that will yeah,
often portrayed as a young angelic faith You're sometimes accompanied
by Saint Nicholas and together they bring gifts to children
(02:05):
on Christmas Eve.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Germans also recognize someone named connect Ruprecht, a stern companion
of Saint Nicholas, who carries a switch a stick that
he can hit people with to remind children who behaves.
It seems varied.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
German they have a special mean man who travels with
Santa Claus. They hit the children who don't speak properly
to the parents, and don't engineer all their cause perfectly.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
And all that other good stuff, you know. Heading further
north to Scandinavia, we meet Julupuchi, the Finnish Santa Claus.
This name translates to Christmas Goat, which is a nod
to the ancient tradition where mischievous goat figures were part
of winter festivities. Today, Julupuki is a warm and friendly
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figure who lives in Laplan, near the Arctic Circle, and
personally delivers presence to children. Then, of course there's Italy
yay hey he Monngorno, where children await La Belefana. Unlike Senna,
La Belefana is a kind hearted old woman who travels
on a broomstick, which is weird because we think of
(03:12):
a broomstick as something for a witch. But La Befana
is a very nice lady. She visits homes on the
night of January fifth, filling children's stockings with treats or
cold depending on, of course, are you a good boy
or a better boy?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
You know how it goes.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
The story of La Belafana ties actually into the epiphany
of the day. The Three Wise Men visited Baby Jesus.
A fun story about that. As you know, Balthazar was
the name of one of the three Wise Men, and
it's also the name of a size of wine bottle.
And it is also the name of a very famous
(03:49):
restaurant in Lower Manhattan. For those of you who are
inclined very good French rout, I've been to Balthazar a
few times. In Russia, Santa Claus takes the form of
Dead Muros or grandfather Frost. Dead Mutus is accompanied by
his granddaughter Snigroschka, the snowmaiden. She sounds like fun. Together
(04:10):
they deliver gifts during New Year's celebrations rather than Christmas,
which is often observed in January later later than the
Catholic side of things because of the Orthodox calendar. In Japan,
Christmas is a relatively new holiday, but the idea of
Santa Claus is less rooted in tradition. Of course, in
religion and history and more commercial, Santa is known as
(04:32):
Yes Santa San and he brings joy, but the focus
is often on spreading happiness and enjoying festive meals like
Christmas cake and delicious fried chicken, things like that. In
a Mexico. The Christmas season has all kinds of vibrant traditions,
but Santa Claus isn't always the star. Instead, children wait
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for losreas Magos, the three wise men who bring gifts
on January sixth, celebrating the Epiphany. Santa, however, has it's
grown so much in popularity in recent years, and it's
blending more and more with the traditional customs. So it's
fascinating how Santa became this big, big thing around the world.
(05:12):
It really is based on a bishop from the Eastern
Roman Empire in the third century AD. He was born
right around two seventy at two seventy a d. Notice
I don't say CE because it's AD, because the calendar
is set up around the birth of Jesus, so one
doesn't have to worship Jesus be a Christian carabininity of
(05:35):
that to accept that that is what the calendar.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Is just a little side note there. I really don't
like this.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
CE nonsense and BCE nonsense.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
It is before Christ. It is the year of our
Lord Ana Domini. AD.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Anyway, third century AD was a time of crisis in
the Roman world. The empire was vast, stretching from Britain
to Egypt and from Spain to Mesopotamia, which we all
know now is course Iraq. But its strength came from size.
It also created a lot of vulnerabilities the Eastern Roman provinces,
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which were actually the richest and most urbanized. We often
think of, of course, the Roman Empire based in Rome,
and so it must have been that that's where all
the action was. This is true for a time, but
particularly at the latter period of the Roman Empire, really latter,
while the final few hundred years it was the Eastern
Roman Empire that was far more wealthy and sophisticated what
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became the Byzantine Empire later on, and Constantinople of course
the name of the city name for the emperor Constantine.
But so the third century is often called the Crisis
of the third century because between two thirty five and
two eighty four AD there were constant civil wars, economic instability,
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and external invasions for the Roman Empire. More than twenty
emperors rose and fell in quick succession during this period,
many of them meeting really violent, nasty ends. And because
of the Eastern Roman Empire's closeness to a couple of
major rivals, including the Assassinid Persian Empire. They were under
(07:17):
a constant threat. In fact, you go back and you
look at this time, there are some periods where the Romans,
let's you say, we're lucky to maintain what they had
in the face of particularly powerful enemies in this part
of the region. It was amid this chaos that reforms
began to take root. The emperor Diocletian came to power
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into eighty four AD, just a little bit after Saint Nicholas.
Santa We're going to get back to Santa gonna get
back to Santa. Buck is waving, as Trump would say,
he's waving. He's telling his history story. He's weaving all
over the place, probably the best history. So stay put.
Diocletian divided the empire into manageable regions and established something
(08:01):
known as the tetrarchy, which was for co emperors and
junior emperors ruling different parts of the empire. The system
evolved over time, but it laid the groundwork for the
formal distinction that would be made between the Western and
Eastern Roman Empire, which I was just talking about. So
it was a period of profound change and a lot
of division and war and just you know, third century
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was crazy stuff going on in the Roman Empire, and
that then brings me to Saint nick one of the well.
People don't think of him necessarily this way, but the
guy who you know, Santa Claus, is more famous really
than almost any Roman emperor. Maybe not Julius Caesar, but
probably Santa Claus comes from Saint Nicholas of Bari. His
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life is a testament to faith, generosity, and compassion. So
he was also known as Nicholas of Myra. Born in
the third century, like I said, ad right around two
seventy in the city of Patisara. This is in modern
day Turkey. Historians will refer to this as Asia Minor,
but Asia Minor is effectively modern day Turkey. So his
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parents were devout Christians and wealthy, but they taught young
Nicholas to have a deep sense of faith and a
profound commitment to helping others. Both of his parents is tragic.
They died of plague. That was a thing that used
to happen back then, just people be masked death from
the plague. This happen when Nicholas was very young and
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left him an orphan. But he did have a substantial
inheritance because of his wealthy parents and the way that
he reacted to all This would set the course of
his life because Saint Nick, not then of course known
as Saint Nick, but Nicolas, chose to use this wealth
that was left to him by his parents to help
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other people, especially the poor and the vulnerable. So he
devoted his life essentially to charity, and this would lead
to some of the legends that would grow around him
that would turn into the Santa Claus of today, and
one of the most famous stories recounts how he would
he secretly provided the dowries for three impoverished sisters. Their
(10:17):
father was unable to afford the dowry. Remember, dowry was
the bride price, or the price that the bride had
to pay to the family of the groom, different in
different traditions, but essentially for the upkeep and taking.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Care of this bride for all over life.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
So they faced the grim prospect their father did of
selling them into servitude because they couldn't afford to pay
a dowry to any potential suitors husbands. So under the
cover of night, Nicholas through bags of gold through their window,
or some people have suggested through their chimney. But I
think it was the window saving the family from this
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awful fate of having to sell their daughters into servitude
to be servants forever, instead of being able to marry
and have their own family. So this was one of
the acts of legendary kindness that led to the legend
of Saint Nick and the gift giving that we see
during Christmas time. But Nicholas was incredibly devoted to God
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and had a deep faith. He became a priest and
then leader bishop of Mira, which was a prominent city,
as I said, in Asia Minor then or what historians
call Asia Minor, but it was in an area of
the Eastern Roman Empire modern day Turkey, and he became
a well known bishop for his defense of Orthodoxy and
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protecting his flock, protecting his people. His leadership was not
without challenges. It was during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian,
remember mentioned Diocletian, and Christians were actually facing severe persecution,
so Nicholas himself was actually put in prison for his
faith the faith and despite the horrific conditions of his incarceration,
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he remained steadfast and encouraged his fellow believers to endure
and remain true to their convictions. After the period of
persecution ended, Nicholas attended the First Council of Nicia in
three twenty five AD. This council, which was convened by
the Emperor Constantine Constantinople, right the great city of the
Eastern Roman Empire, was pivotal in defining Christian Christian doctrine.
(12:25):
Excuse me, you know the Nicene Creed for example, right,
we all know where that comes from. And according to
some accounts, Nicholas was very vocal in these debates, particularly
regarding the heretical teachings of Arius, who was somebody who
denied the divinity of Christ. So this was a very
serious heresy. Legend even suggests that Nicholas is zeal for
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the defensive Orthodoxy led him to confront areas physically, though
people say.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Maybe this is not true.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
It's more legend than history, but it sounds good in
the story, right Regardless Saint Nick's presence, I keep wanting
to say that Santa Claus, but he wasn't Santa Claus.
Then he was Bishop Nicholas of Myra. His presence at
Nicea underscored his role as a defender of the Christian faith.
But yes, he had major theological contributions, and he's a
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huge saint. He is the best known saint really of
the Orthodox, of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church. But Nicholas's
life was marked by countless acts of compassion and service,
so he was also an advocate on behalf of those
unjustly accused. There was a story where he intervened to
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save three innocent men who had been condemned to death.
Nicholas confronted the executioner, halted the proceedings, and ensured that
justice prevailed. So there are these stories that highlight his
courage and his unwavering commitment to righteousness, to truth, to decency,
to justice. He passed away on December sixth, three p.
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Forty three AD in my and his death marked the
end of a remarkable earthly life, but of course the
legacy was just beginning. His tomb soon became the site
of major pilgrimage. In fact, pilgrims would come from near
and far to venerate Saint Nick, drawn by the reports
of miracles that were occurring in his resting place. In
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ten eighty seven, fearing desecration of his remains during the
Muslim conquest of Lycia, sailors from Bari in Italy transported
his relics to their city, So today the Basilica di
San Nicola Inbari houses his remains, and the city has
become a major center of devotion to Saint Nicholas. So
over the centuries, his reputation grew and his image evolved
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into a symbol of Christian generosity and kindness. In Eastern
Christianity he celebrated as a wonder worker, while in the
West his legacy merged with local traditions to the figure
that we have come to note today as Santa Claus.
The transformation from Bishop of Maira to the jolly figure
of Christian legend may seem a Christmas legend, rather may
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seem distant from the actual guy who lived then, but
at its core is still the spirit of giving and
concern for others that defined his life. Saint Nicholas is
also remembered as a unifying figure in the Christian tradition.
Both Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches honor him as
a saint, and his feast day, December sixth, is celebrated
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with joy and reverence around the world. So the legacy
of Santa Claus is an incredible thing, and it's something
that around this Christmas time as we think about the
birth of Jesus and we those of us who are
the Christian faith, reflect on the scriptures and the way
that this all came together. It's also interesting to know
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the history of this great Saint, Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus,
Jolly Saint Nick, really was all just about giving, supporting, loving,
and serving others. The ultimate Christmas story, the ultimate Christmas legacy.
I hope you enjoyed our discussion of the real Santa Clause.
I gotta say, Santa has just always been a favorite
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of mine, Jolly Saint Nick. It's one of the most
wondrous things about being a kid, is how amazing this
whole concept of Santa Claus is and how much joy
it brings to Christmas. What are the great stories that
we celebrate as part of any holiday, And by the.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Way, I know, of course, for those of us who are.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
Christian, there's the cresh scenes and the birth of Jesus,
and that's really what Christmas is about. But Santa creates
an additional fun story for children to celebrate a great
time of year, celebrate kindness and giving and Christian virtues
and so things that are all tied in together. Anyway,
(16:53):
I just think Santa is amazing, so many great movies,
so much great culture.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
And fun as a result of it.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
So I thought doing a little tour through history of
how Santa came to be really one of the great
and timeless characters of all time, of all history.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
And I know.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
We could talk more maybe another time, about the reindeer
and the rest of somehow these things, some of how
these things all.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Got added in.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
And for me, if you're asking the best, the best
Christmas movie that involves the Santa.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Claus, wouldn't it have to be Miracle on thirty fourth Street.
Wouldn't that have to be the one? Welcome back to
Clay and Buck.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
Since we are here on Christmas Eve, I thought we
could take a moment to go back in time and
talk about one of the most famous Christmas stories of
all time. No, not Miracle on thirty fourth Street, not
Die Hard, whatever your favorite Christmas movie may be, but
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the story of George Washington, the Delaware I'm want to
do something of a theater of the mind, if you
will a little bit storytelling on this hopefully a perfect
thing for you to be listening to as you're driving
to wherever you're going to be celebrating Christmas tomorrow and
to just kick back and relax for a moment. So
(18:20):
we all know the basics of the story. But let's
go back in time together. The year is seventeen seventy six.
America's revolution is hanging by a thread. Now, you have
to remember the second half of seventeen seventy six, leading
up to Washington's crossing of the Delaware was a critical
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period and a desperate one for the American revolutionaries. The
colonies formerly declared independence on as we know, July fourth,
seventeen seventy six, Independence Day, and entered this new phase
where they were facing down one of the most formidable,
really the most formidable war machine in the entire world
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at the time. So the fledgling Continental Army had to
deal with this challenge and take on the might of
the British and their Hessian auxiliaries mercenaries. Between July and
December of that year, the revolution's survival hung in the balance,
as defeat after defeat pushed General George Washington's army to
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the brink of collapse. Yet from these trials emerged incredible
courage and moments of strategic brilliance that would eventually ensure
the revolution's continuation and success. So in the summer of
seventeen seventy six, though none of that was assured, not
in the least. Second Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia July fourth,
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they adopt the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson,
formerly severing ties between the American Colonies and Great Britain.
It was a bull statement to the world at the time,
proclaiming the colonies free and independent, no longer under the
rule of King George the Third.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
This was risky, of course.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
The colonies committed themselves into a rebellion and their leaders
faced well death if they were to be on the
wrong side of this, and they had to take to
the battlefield. As we know, despite the optimism surrounding the
Declaration of Independence, the reality of the military struggle was bleak.
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In July, British General William Howe launched a massive campaign
to capture New York City, a strategic point that controlled
access to the Hudson River. Howe's forces were formidable, consisting
around thirty two thousand British regulars and those Hessian mercenaries
will talk more about them. This was the largest expeditionary
force that Britain had ever assembled at that time, and
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facing them was just George Washington's Continental Army, inexperience and
poor early equipped troops, about twenty thousand of them in total.
So the British assault began on August twenty seventh, seventeen
seventy six, at the Battle of Long Island, which is
also known as the Battle of Brooklyn Heights. The Continental
Army was routed. How's superior tactics the skill of his
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soldiers overwhelming numbers were just too much for Washington and
his forces. They were flanked and had to retreat ignominiously
in the moment in a struck. A stroke of luck
and ingenuity, Washington managed to save his army by evacuating
them overnight during a across the East River under the
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cover of fog. So that defeat on Long Island then
led to Washington's army being driven out of New York City,
and by mid September the British occupied that city and
further defeats followed the Battle of Harlem Heights for example,
on September sixteenth was a minor success for the Americans,
gave a little bit of a boost to their morale,
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but generally speaking, the campaign was going poorly. On October
twenty eighth, there was the Battle of White Plains and
Washington was again forced to retreat. This then led to
Washington's army having to retreat across New Jersey. I mean,
there was the fall of nearby Fort Lee, and they
realized they had to just create distance between them and
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the British before it was too late. The retreat across
New Jersey was a dark and desperate chapter for the Americans.
Washington's army was in the roughest of situations in terms
of their materiel and the morale that they had, so
by December, Washington had fewer than five thousand men. The
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Continental Congress fled the city of Philadelphia to Baltimore, and
things appeared bleak. But then George had a brilliant idea
and put it into action. General George Washington's Continental Army
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is in a terrible state, bloodied, battered, and would be
broken were it not for their indefatigable leader, George Washington himself.
They've suffered many defeats, these rebels against what was then
the most powerful empire in the world. The British morale
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is low, the winter snows have hit hard, and the
dream of an independent United States seems to be slowly
but surely evaporating. George Washington, ever, resolute, refuses to give in, and,
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recognizing that he needed a change of fortune, he planned
a daring and desperate gamble. He decided to lead his
men across the icy Delaware River and strike at the
encamped forces in Trenton, New Jersey, including the fearsome Hessian soldiers.
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These mercenaries who've been hired by the British Empire. They
were Germans in order to fight against the colonials. This
was more than just a proverbial roll of the dice.
If Washington and his men failed, there was the very
real possibility the revolution could be lost. But if they succeeded,
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it could turn things around and give them momentum with
a battlefield victory that would inspire the cause of the
revolution to endure. We can think back to then, what
did Washington say, Probably something like, men, the hour is
upon us. I know you are cold, I know you
(24:55):
are tired. But to make history in this great new
nation of ours is going to be costly and difficult.
It is not the easy fights that will be remembered,
because it is not the easy fights that will matter. Tonight,
we crossed the Delaware and march on Trenton This our
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cause of liberty demands, and together we shall prevail. We
shall overcome this situation. Now, this crossing that Washington engaged
in was no small feat. As we know, the Delaware
River in wintertime is swift of current, treacherous, the night
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dark as pitch. Washington divided his forces into three groups.
While two failed to cross the river because of the
icy fury, he led the central column himself. Of this,
of course memorialized in the timeless painting of Washington crossing
the Delaware. The water is frigid, the ice jagged and unrelenting.
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Many of Washington's men have no shoes. In fact, imagine this.
It is wintertime and their feet are wrapped in rags.
Yet they press on, driven by Washington's leadership and the
hope of achieving liberty for the nascent United States of America.
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You can imagine soldiers whispering to themselves under their breath
trying to summon whatever courage they could as they pushed
ice floes away from their boat. Mind you, at this time,
in this period, many of these men would have been
unable to swim, and so not only did they risk
(26:53):
hypothermia within minutes of falling into the icy water had
their rickety boat tipped over, but they very well could
have drowned even if they were within the ability to
get to the shore had they been able to swim.
At the helm of the boat, of course, is George
Washington himself. His presence steals the men against the biting
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cold and the sense of doubt that this could be
the end. If they fail, perhaps there will be tribunals
and the hangman's noose for some of those we now
know as founding fathers of the greatest country in the
history of the world. It's almost four am when the
(27:37):
Army of Washington completes its crossing, and against all odds,
somehow they made it. But it's not just the crossing
of the Delaware that was so critical. Another part, a
nine mile march in the snow for men who would
be poorly clothed and prepared for this, That had to
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be the next thing on the agenda, and the march
is grueling. Soldiers were collapsing from exhaustion, hunger, and exposure
to the elements. Yet the army moved on step by
step with the promise of victory, keeping them on their feet.
Washington must have turned to his men, courage. The dawn
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is near, he would have said, Trenton awaits at dawn.
The Continental Army finally arrives after their grueling march outside
on the outskirts of Trenton. The Hessians were caught completely
by surprise and immediately had to scramble to arms to arms.
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Although they would have said it in German, Washington then
recognized that the time had come, raised his sword, rallied
his troops, and they charged. Hold the line. Washington would
have said, forward, men, forward, The battle is swift.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Lasted less than an hour.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Washington's army captured nearly one thousand Hessian prisoners, took minimal
losses to his force, and it was a stunning victory,
a beacon of hope for the fledgling American Revolution. Washington
would have been patting his men on the shoulders and
(29:35):
cheering for each other at this enormous turn of fortune.
For the army of the Continental Continental Army at this point,
and on this cold December morning, they would have recognized
that things were changing. George Washington's leadership, courage and determination
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had carried the Continental Army through another ordeal, a tremendous hardship,
and ultimately it would lead to what would have seemed
an incredibly improbable outcome, a victory over the greatest empire
of the time and the beginnings of the greatest nation
in all history. A very merry Christmas. Indeed, we'll be
(30:21):
right back. When we think of Christmas, we think of
so many great things, a lot of jolly stuff as well,
like Santa himself. But there's another side to some of
the lore. I wanted to spend a moment on that now,
Like the crampis. Yeah, sure, Santa Claus has twinkling lights
and cheerful songs, but in certain parts of Europe the
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festive season carries a more mischievous figure with it as well.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
Crampus.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
This fearsome creature, half goat and half demon, has been
a part of Christmas folklore for centuries, offering a chilling
contrast to the warmth of the holiday season. The origins
of Crampus can be traced back to ancient pre Christian
traditions in the Alpine regions of Europe. His name is
derived from the German word crampin meaning claw, and his
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terrifying appearance with long horns, fangs, and a llulling tongue
believed to echo pagan representations of wild spirits and fertility demons.
These figures were often associated with the dark winter months,
when life seemed more precarious and mysterious forces were thought
to roam the earth. As Christianity spread through Europe, pagan
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customs were gradually incorporated into Christian practices. Crampus was entwined
with the story of Saint Nicholas, the benevolent figure who
rewarded well behaved children. When Saint Nicholas offered gifts and blessings,
Crampis became his sinister counterpart, punishing naughty children with switches
and chains, or the most frightening tales, carrying them off.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
In a sack.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
And then there's Crampus knocked the night of the Beast
that celibate on December fifth, well before Christmas, fortunately, but
on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day. On this night,
men dressed as Crompus parade, or rather as the Crompus
parade through towns and villages, rattling chains, brandishing bundles of
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birch branches, and playfully frightening onlookers. The processions are known
as Crampuslafa or Crampis runs. They are boisterous, chaotic celebrations
that combine fear and fun. Revelers may be chased or
teased by these crompuses, but the night is also an
opportunity to revel in the thrill of the supernatural. But
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in many ways, Crampus was a tool for moral lessons.
The duality of Saint Nicholas and Crampus represented the carrot
and stick approach to discipline, especially for young children. Be
good and you'll be rewarded. Be bad and you'll face
the consequences the crompus. In fact, parents would invoke Crampus
to encourage children to behave, reminding them that the creature might.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Visit if they don't behave.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
During the twentieth century, Crampus's terrifying image fell out of
favor in Austria, Germany and other countries. The Catholic Church
viewed the Crompus as inappropriate or even subversive. The tradition
was suppressed, but it never entirely disappeared, and folklore has
a way of enduring. So in the late twentieth century
the Crompus began to surface again, and now the Crompus
(33:25):
has experienced a resurgence, thanks in part to global interest
in folklore and alternative holiday traditions. Crompus has actually become
something of a pop culture icon over in Europe, and
he appears in films, books, and holiday events throughout the world.
What was once a localized Alpine custom for certain parts
(33:48):
of northern and Eastern Europe is now celebrated as a
quirky and sometimes spooky counterpart to the joys of Christmas,
and Crampus is enduring a pear. It really lies in
his ability to balance the festive with the frightening. He
reminds us that the holiday season isn't just about warmth
and light. It also acknowledges the shadows and the struggles.
(34:10):
By embracing Crampus, we honor a tradition that adds depth
to our understanding of the Christmas season, one that is
as much about reflection and redemption as it is about celebration,
So as you hang your stockings and trim your tree,
take a moment to remember the dark companion of Saint Nicholas.
Whether you find him terrifying or thrilling, the crampus adds
(34:33):
a dash of the uncanny to the magic of Christmas.
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