The San Antonio Family Association condemns the Krampus parade because organizers are selling Krampus T-shirts

The San Antonio Family Association is the latest to speak out against the local Krampus parade scheduled for Thursday.

In a statement on Wednesday, the club said: “This appears to be a concerted attempt by the devil to create another reason for celebration, to actually shake people’s faith in God – especially children – and to puncture a hole in the Christian heritage our known community,” like San Antonio, also known as the City of St. Anthony, all for the sake of “just a fun time” in another secular human tradition that will be “good for business.”

The association planned a news conference at 11 a.m. Thursday at the San Fernando Cathedral, followed by a prayer rally from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Hermann Sons Home Association Bar, 525 S. St. Mary’s Street.

“These events are intended to peacefully counteract the negative influence of the parade and pray for the protection of children, a greater sensitivity to harmful vices and an awareness of the evil that is being celebrated,” the association’s statement continued. “We invite all people of good will to join us in prayer and action. As Scripture reminds us in Mark 16:16 and Matthew 10:32, let us not be afraid to stand up for what is good and right.”

Krampus T-shirts are now on sale for those who support the event.

“This holiday season, you can show your support for the San Antonio Krampus Parade by wearing a Support Your Local Krampus T-shirt and other designs. Merchandise is available at krampusparade.creator-spring.com and will be shipped directly to you,” reads a press release from parade organizers.

Krampus is a character from old German legends.

This dark person, who often appears with horns, fangs and fur, will appear in a parade in San Antonio’s Southtown this holiday season, sparking mixed reactions and debate.

Thursday’s Krampus Parade begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Blue Star Arts Complex, travels down King William Street and ends at the Rathskeller Bar.

It has sparked some protests from local religious leaders who say the focus this Christmas should be on the kind and generous Saint Nicholas.

“While these events occur in December, the roots of Krampus have nothing to do with Christmas,” San Antonio Catholic Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller said in a statement to TPR. “Instead, according to Smithsonian Magazine, they date back to pre-Germanic paganism in Eastern and Central Europe. The name of the creatures comes from German.” cramp, which means “claw”, and according to tradition he is the son of the Norse god of the underworld, “Hel”. Over the centuries, the Catholic Church has expressed its opposition to Krampus celebrations because of his resemblance to the devil.

Daniel Scharinger

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Reuters

The archbishop’s statement goes on to say that it is “particularly worrying that this local event takes place on December 5, the eve of the feast of Saint Nicholas of Myra, and in some depictions Krampus appears with Saint Nicholas, with Krampus appears on the street.” He punishes naughty children, while St. Nicholas rewards the good ones.”

“This festival may be fun for adults – but the flashy costumes could be particularly frightening, scary and nightmare-inducing for young people. Instead, let us focus on the example of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, whose reputation for generosity and kindness is still revered around the world centuries later,” he added.

Rathskeller Bar representatives pointed out that it is a rental space for the public and the parade was not organized by them. This was done by the Krampus Parade Board.

Some of the first Germans to move to San Antonio settled in the King William District.

In fact, as the archbishop wrote, in the German-speaking areas of Europe, a chubby, rosy-cheeked St. Nicholas punishes good children with gifts, while a half-man, half-goat creature named Krampus punishes bad children by beating them with sticks and even kidnapping them to hell .

Very dark stuff.

But our Santa Claus keeps a naughty and nice list. And naughty children could receive lumps of coal as gifts here – all Santa traditions, according to popular tradition.

Daniel Scharinger

/

Reuters

Two German language professors at San Antonio-area universities provided additional historical context for Krampus.

Devon Donohue-Bergeler, a professor in the modern languages ​​department at the University of Texas at San Antonio, pointed out that Western culture also has its Christmas boogeymen — just not as graphic.

“I also thought and thought about the ‘Elf on the Shelf.’ He’s also such a harmless-looking guy, but he actually watches children and makes sure they’re okay, and Krampuses serve the same function, but are just more superficially direct and creepy.”

Heather Sullivan, professor of German in the Department of Modern Languages ​​and Literature at Trinity University, agreed with the boogeyman comparison. She added that even dark fairy tales for children are told here.

“We have things like that in our own culture, don’t we? And it’s dark and frightening when you look at other cultures without context. Some say, ‘Oh my God, what are they doing?’ but there is a very long and very messy context.”

This long and messy context involves the combination of Christian and pagan traditions, which also resulted in this common holiday symbol – the Christmas tree.