The Krampus procession (Krampuslauf) is a tradition generally performed on a day from the beginning of the Advent season up to the first half of January. People, organised in groups named Pass, run through the streets. They try to frighten the spectators in their self-created costumes.
As a photographer, I am generally not so frightened by their masks but by their jigging walk, which makes it tough to take good pictures of them in dimly lit streets. It is much fun to watch the wild procession anyway.
The photo above was taken in Gnigl, a neighbourhood of Salzburg. A similar experience I had in the Styrian city of Judenburg, where a procession of Perchten (Perchtenlauf) took place.
Sources / More info
- Alt Gnigler Krampus & Perchten Pass (Website)
- Krampuslauf in Gnigl (Video by City Sea Country)
- Krampuslauf in Gnigl (Video by Travelwordonline)