“You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I’m telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town, … ”
Early December on the Commons, you can hear horns, clanks, bells, and whistles in the distance.
In much of Europe and now throughout the world, a different kind of celebration takes place, one that showcases Santa’s sidekick, Krampus the Christmas devil, who comes to deal with the naughty and maybe convince them to become nice.
The thousand-year-old legend of Krampus is just one character from pagan holiday traditions in Germany and Austria that show a dark side to St. Nick’s sweetness & generosity. Originally considered a team, St. Nicholas and Krampus are thought to speak to the nice and naughty.
Lately, Krampus celebrations have taken on the role of speaking for many who have a bah-humbug attitude towards traditional sugar and spice niceties, or in more and more cases, for those who simply want to have some holiday fun.
An employee of Liquid State Brewery along with a friend of the business came up with the idea of having a Krampus night in Ithaca.
“We were game for it just because it’s a really great opportunity to have lots of fun at the beginning of the winter,” said Jamey Tielens co-owner of Liquid State Brewery “…and to get dressed up when it’s not Halloween” added on Ben Brotman the other co-owner.
Many attendees of the event came dressed in a variety of Krampus costumes. The most common indicator being Krampus’ horns. Some guests created paper mache masks to recreate dramatic features.
This year’s Krampusnacht was the second one held in Ithaca; the first occurred in 2019. The occasion consisted of a variety of events starting with a parade at the commons led by Brotman, Tielens, and other Krampuses. At the Brewery, the festivities continued with a costume contest in which the best Krampus was decided on by the audience.
Later in the evening, different performers took to the runway with lip-synching, dance, and more. In between performances donation jars for Ithaca Children’s Garden (ICG) circulated along with periodical announcements about how the night’s revelry was benefiting ICG.
Liquid State Brewing Company employees also came up with special Krampus Nacht cocktails like ‘Hair of the Stray Dog’, ‘Kidnapple Mulled Cider’, and ‘DeLavendar Us from Evil Spritzer.’
“We mostly have beers and ciders and wines,” said Tielens. “But for this event, we make some interesting mixed drinks and give them funny names and that money goes to Ithaca Children’s Garden as well.”
Ithaca Children’s Garden’s mission is to “connect children to nature for a more beautiful, resilient, and just world,” said Erin Marteal Executive Director of Ithaca Children’s Garden. ICG is in its year-end giving campaign with a goal of $40,000. Every dollar will be matched 1 to 1 by the Triad Foundation.
Brotman said “It’s a little ironic” that they chose to benefit ICG, “since Krampus punishes children and that’s one of the reasons we chose them but we’ve also just worked with them a lot over the years for fundraising and it’s such a wonderful place so it’s nice to support them.”