Plus, celebrations at this time involved a lot of riotous, drunkenness, and public displays of disorder. When the American colonies were first established by the Puritans in the 1700s, they had banned the celebrations of Christmas as they felt them to be too pagan, taking away from the focus of honoring and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Alternatively, Belsnickel may arrive on his own, independent of Saint Nicholas. The character of Belsnickel hails from the Palatine region of Germany along the Rhine, Saarland, and Odenwald area where he is sometimes a companion of Saint Nicholas.
Another version of Belsnickel says they are a slender figure dressed in white who slips through keyholes in order to leave their gifts. Sometimes Belsnickel will be more animal-like with horns and have a long tongue much like various images of Krampus.
Horae impales man full#
Additional features will include a blackface, intended to be soot to show he’s dirty or he’s wearing a mask, bell, whip, and his pockets full of candy or nuts to pass out to good children. Clothing is often tattered or in some cases, a woman’s garb. Other descriptions of Belsnickel say he’s filthy and dressed up in rags or furs. The family is expected of course to let Belsnickel in so he can hand out toys and gifts to good children and hickory switches to the misbehaving ones accordingly.
Horae impales man windows#
One source says they wear a black mask and carries a large black sack who then announces his arrival by knocking on windows or doors before bedtime on Christmas night. It can vary slightly what Belsnickel looks like. Though Belsnickel will still come to punish misbehaving children while rewarding those who are well behaved. In more recent times, Belsnickel is more friendly, much like the Zwarte Piet tradition of the Netherlands and not as scary as the seemingly darker figure of Krampus. Belsnickel is even known to make appearances in some communities of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The character of Belsnickel is another character from German and Pennsylvania Dutch cultures who appears during the wintertime, Christmas, and Yule traditions. Alternatively, “bels or pels” meaning furĪlso called: Bell Sniggle, Bellzebub, Belschnickel, Belzeniggl, Belznickel, Black Pit, Buzebergt, Christmas Woman, Drapp, Gumphinkel, Hans Muff, Hanstrapp, Knecht Ruprecht, Kriskinkle, Pelzebock, Pelsnichol, Pelznickel, Pelznikel, Rumpelklas, Schmutzli, Stoppklos, Xmas Woman Etymology: Due to the homophone or same sounding words, it is a portmanteau of German belzen/pelzen (to wallop or beat) or possibly bels/pels (fur) and nickel for Saint Nicholas.
0 kommentar(er)
