“Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” (A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens)

Italian Alps

🤍GoodMorning🤍

@missflodder

Belsnickel

Now let's look at a Krampus counterpart, the "Santa" of the Palatinate in Germany and among the Pennsylvania Dutch who has the duties of both Krampus and St. Nicolas:

"Belsnickel (also Belschnickel, Belznickle, Belznickel, Pelznikel, Pelznickel, from pelzen (or belzen, German for to wallop or to drub [1]) and Nickel being a hypocorism of the given name Nikolaus) is a crotchety, fur-clad Christmas gift-bringer figure in the folklore of the Palatinate region of southwestern Germany along the Rhine, the Saarland, and the Odenwald area of Baden-Württemberg. The figure is also preserved in Pennsylvania Dutch communities [2] and Brazilian-German communities.[3]

The Belsnickel character originated in the Palatinate. When people immigrated to Pennsylvania, they brought their German traditions with them.[6] Belsnickel was known in Pennsylvania in the early 1800s.[4]" (source)