The Companions of Saint Nicholas in Europe

Introduction

In North America, Santa Claus is assisted by the benign Christmas Elves, but in much of Europe His helpers are a little bit more fear-inducing. Before we talk about the helpers themselves, let us back up and look at the environment that gave birth to these helpers.

Traditionally, there wasn’t much agricultural activity during the winter months in Europe, so as a result people had a lot of free time on their hands to tell each other stories and contribute to folklore. Generally speaking, most of European folklore that is associated with the period between the end of October (Halloween) and the beginning of January (Three Kings’ Day) belong to one of the following categories:

❶ “Cheerful Winter Celebration”

→ drinking, playing games, exchanging gifts…

❷ “Macabre Winter Celebration”

→ scaring one another, remembering the dead…

The act of dressing up, or “guising”, is something that is commonly seen in traditions of both ❶ and ❷.

Saint Nicholas and His Helpers

In many European countries, especially those that used to be a part of the Holy Roman Empire, cheerful winter celebration and macabre winter celebration come together in the folklore of Saint Nicholas and His scary companion.

⑴ Krampus / Klaubauf / Čert

The Alpine regions are without a doubt home to the scariest companion of Saint Nicholas: Krampus, a hairy monster with goat horns. He’s typically depicted in chains, wielding a birch rod. On His back, he carries a basket in which He puts presents or naughty children.

⑵ Christkind / Andel

In some parts of Europe an angel joins the duo. In protestant areas, this angel is typically interpreted as baby Jesus even though a young girl often plays the role. She may replace Krampus, appear with another helper, or even alone.

⑶ Knecht Ruprecht / Hans Muff / Hans Trapp / Père Fouettard

In many different regions, a man with a hood or hat and a long beard assists Saint Nicholas. He carries the same attributes as Krampus. In Germany, He is called Knecht Ruprecht (“servant Ruprecht”, Hans Muff or. In the Northern part as well as in the Eastern part of France, He may be called Hans Trapp (German) or Père Fouettard (French: “Father Whipper”). In Luxembourg, His name is Houseker and in Switzerland, it is Schmutzli (German) or also Père Fouettard (French).

⑷ Zwarte Piet / Père Fouettard

Both the bearded companions and the horned companions are often portrayed with a black face and that is the trait that has become the most notable feature in Saint Nicholas’ companion in the Netherlands and Belgium.

In the Dutch-speaking areas (Netherlands + Flanders), He is referred to as Zwarte Piet (“Black Pete”) and in the French-speaking South of Belgium (Wallonia), He has a similar appearance, but is referred to as Père Fouettard (“Father Whipper”) as well. In the city of Liège, He is called Hanscrouf.

Before the duo Saint Nicholas and Zwarte Piet became the standard, several similar traditions of boogieman gift bringers existed alongside each other. As it was key to become unrecognisable, masks were used [I]. If none were available, the face was often blackened instead. In some areas, Saint Nicholas Himself was even black! [II]  There are records of Saint Nicholas being referred to as “Zwarte Klaas” (“Black Nicholas”). [III]

Traditionally, Zwarte Piet also carried a birch rod and chains, but as His character has moved away from the aggressive boogieman, the chain and birch rod are almost always absent these days.

In recent years, there has been much debate revolving around Zwarte Piet as his appearance is perceived to be offensive to people with African roots by some, but more about that in my next blog post!

References:[I] Zuidema, W. (1797) Weekblad voor den zoo genaamden gemeenen man: Volume 1: (8).
[II] (1829) De Nederlandsche kindervriend: in gedichtjes voor de welopgevoede jeugd. Amsterdam: Gebroeders Van Arum: p74-75.
[III] Van Lennep, Jacob (1868) De uithangteekens in verband met geschiedenis en volksleven beschouwd. Amsterdam: Gebroeders Kraay: p119