Santa Claus, also known as St. Nicholas, has been an American Christmas mainstay for more than 200 years. According to tradition, the rotund, bearded, red-garbed elf delivers toys to all good children around the world via a reindeer-guided flying sleigh, while appreciative youngsters gift him milk and cookies. But Santa Claus isn’t the world’s only Christmas visitor. Many countries have their own traditional holiday callers, some kind, others not so much.
Krampus
Among children in Germany and Austria, Krampus (derived from the German word meaning claw) is a holiday figure to be feared. Unlike St. Nicholas, who gives children presents, Krampus is a demonlike figure who swats naughty children, stuffs them in a bag, and takes them to his lair. According to folklore, Krampus does his dirty work the night of December 5, known as Krampus Night.
La Befana
Italian children look forward to a visit from La Befana, a witch who brings presents to good boys and girls at the end of the Christmas season. Her backstory differs according to variations in folklore. One story suggests that she was invited by the Three Wise Men to visit the Christ Child but declined because she had too much housework. Regretting her decision, she now travels the world on a broom bearing gifts as she searches for Jesus. Other versions say La Befana originated in pagan rituals that predate Christianity.
Ded Moroz
In Russia and other eastern European countries, Ded Moroz gradually morphed from a combination of cruel Slavic gods into a kinder, gentler gift-giver in the same vein as Santa Claus. Originally associated primarily with winter, by the early 20th century Ded Moroz had become a symbol of Christmas. When Vladimir Lenin assumed power in Russia in 1917, he banned Ded Moroz and other common symbols associated with the Christmas holiday, but the character remains a popular tradition.
Agios Vassilis
Also known as St. Basil, Agios Vassilis is the Greek equivalent of Santa Claus. However, he delivers gifts on New Year’s Day—the feast day of St. Basil—rather than on Christmas. Agios Vassilis isn’t the only holiday visitor in Greek folklore: troublemaking elves or pixies known as kallikántzaroi are also believed to come by. Families protect themselves by keeping their fireplaces burning between December 25 and January 6.
Jólasveinar
Also known as Yule Lads, these mischievous characters from Icelandic folklore bring gifts to good children and rotten potatoes to those who have been bad. They are said to be the children of mountain-dwelling ogres named Grýla and Leppalúði, who eat naughty children during the Christmas holiday. When the Yule Lads visit, they engage in a variety of pranks in addition to bearing gifts.