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A review by wandering_reads
The Dead of Winter: Beware the Krampus and Other Wicked Christmas Creatures by Sarah Clegg
4.0
A really interesting dive into European traditions when it comes to winter and Christmas. After the Victorians domesticated Christmas and made it into the fluffy, family-centered holiday with the jolly Santa we know today, most people lost touch with the ancient and very scary witches, goblins, pranksters, demons and other creepy creatures. A major part of this loss of superstition and fear of wintery monsters is two-fold: an increasingly industrialized society throughout the 1800s, meaning more people lived in urban areas, and, I suspect, the increase in use of gas and electric lighting. After all, you wouldn't be so afraid of the dark if you had consistent and brighter light sources?
Clegg does a good job of breaking down different traditions into manageable chapters. Living in an Alpine area now, I can see where many of the traditions around Christmas would have made sense to the people there. I think one important thing to remember is that some of these traditions are slowly being resurrected in the 21st century to bigger tourist crowds (especially Krampus runs), but the history behind the traditions in the first place is necessary to remember - and not let the customs of the past become something we fully take on without understanding their origins. Many of them did not start out in good fun, but rather as a way to make children behave and to make sure people followed local ideas and traditions. Overall, it's a good read if you're interested in holiday history and the origins of what we see today plastered on social media.
Clegg does a good job of breaking down different traditions into manageable chapters. Living in an Alpine area now, I can see where many of the traditions around Christmas would have made sense to the people there. I think one important thing to remember is that some of these traditions are slowly being resurrected in the 21st century to bigger tourist crowds (especially Krampus runs), but the history behind the traditions in the first place is necessary to remember - and not let the customs of the past become something we fully take on without understanding their origins. Many of them did not start out in good fun, but rather as a way to make children behave and to make sure people followed local ideas and traditions. Overall, it's a good read if you're interested in holiday history and the origins of what we see today plastered on social media.