St. Nicholas parade and the Krampus


On the evening of the 5th of December South Tirol celebrates the traditional St. Nicholas parade. The float with the white-bearded Saint - who gives fruits and sweets to the children - is followed by unsettling half-man, half-goat creatures. They’re the “Krampuses”, looking for “bad children,” and some bad grown-ups too, in order to punish them.
 
This celebration’s origins are very old, probably a pre-Christian heathen tradition to celebrate the winter solstice. It is practiced in many places of the region, but especially in Merano, where the patron saint is St. Nicholas. 

Weather forecast Bolzano, South Tyrol