Das DEUTSCHE Abenteuer!: December 2007

Things are finally beginning to slow down in Innsbruck...at least as far as our classes go! Our midterms are over, and everyone is ready for a break. This will be my last post before I head back state-side to celebrate Christmas with the family (and I'm sure several of you are reading this right now)! I'll be flying out in nine days, and getting back to Galesburg the morning of the 18th. Trying not to think about the culture shock of hearing English around me once again, as well as the wicked effect of jet-lag. Regardless, it will be AWESOME to be home again! Taco Bell, access to a car, not having to pay 50 cents to use a public restroom...magnificent!

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know about how completely different the Christmas traditions are here. To begin with, Santa Claus DOES NOT give the major gift-giving here. Rather, "Sankt Nikolaus," or Saint Nikolaus auf Englisch, comes on December 5th. He brings small presents, but isn't nearly as big of a figure as in the US.

ONE MAJOR DIFFERENCE! The Krampusse (pronounced CRAMM-pussa). Perhaps one of the scariest traditions I've ever heard of, these guys follow around Sankt Nikolaus. Their main purpose is to scare kids into being good. No joke. They go around Christkindlmarkts with whips and terrorize people - nothing serious of course, but they're a pretty big deal here. They're actually paid by businesses to do so. Surprisingly enough, they tend to target girls about my age. It's all in good fun, but when you see someone in a furry suit which resembles chewbacca, with a devil mask with huge horns and a giant cow bell attached to him, its a BIT intimidating.

So instead of Santa Claus, they have the "Christkind" or Christ-child bringing the children gifts. Also, they open their gifts on December 24th, and NOT on the 25th. The children here also don't necessarily think of the Christ-child as the same Christ who died on the cross. They tend not to make that connection until they are much older. This is what surprised me perhaps most of all. Baby Jesus brings the presents?!?

Well, here are some pictures of different events that I talked about, and ALSO from a trip that I took with my host family to Sterzing. It's located just across the border in Italy, in Suedtyrol - an area which is generally a mixture between Italian and Austrian culture. Definitely a lot of fun, and an absolutely beautiful town.