Before The Krampus Came To America...There Was The Belsnickel

Dwight Shrute dresses as Belsnickel in the Office episode "A Dwight Christmas"

Though the Austrian-derived Krampus has recently begun to really rise in popularity in America, there had already been a switch-wielding, fur-covered, creepy Yuletide figure in place in America for well over a hundred years---the Belsnickel. This grouchy fellow covered in tattered furs and bearing a whip, a switch and candy, arrived with German immigrants to Pennsylvania. This "Pennsylvania Dutch" community (and remember, "Dutch" in this case is actually a corruption of the word "Deutsche", which means "German". The Pennsylvania Dutch are not Dutch) has preserved the tradition into modern times. The Morning Call says this about the Belsnickel:

"Through history, the Belsnickel took different forms. The most familiar is the dark tattered man in furs who carries a switch and candy. The second figure was more animal-like, and wore a mask with horns or a tongue. The third Belsnickel version was a slight figure dressed in white who slipped in through a keyhole and left gifts on a plate".

The article goes on to say:

"The name Belsnickel literally means Saint Nicholas in furs, says Sarah Thayer of the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum. The crotchety Belsnickel was a forerunner of the modern day Santa."

"All the traditions are interwoven", Thayer says. "He was one of the traditional Pennsylvania German gift bringers. It was simple and non-commercial".

This article is circa 2013, and was advertising an "Old Time Christmas" event in Stroudsburg, Pa, with the Belsnickel appearing in the cellar kitchen of the farmhouse. So, alive and well, indeed, and already here for a long time.

"All the traditions are interwoven", Thayer says. "He was one of the traditional Pennsylvania German gift bringers. It was simple and non-commercial".

This article is circa 2013, and was advertising an "Old Time Christmas" event in Stroudsburg Pa, with the Belsnickel appearing in the cellar kitchen of the farmhouse. So, alive and well, indeed, and already here for a long time.
***A note on "The Office" episode above----in this episode Dwight comes to the office dressed as Belsnickel. Later, as his friend is coming to join him dressed as Zwarte Piet, Dwight secretly calls him to prevent him from coming. Zwarte Piet is a controversial character, due to his overt "blackface" aspect. However, as far as I know, he does not accompany Belsnickel and is in fact, a character from folklore traditions in Holland. This may be where there was some confusion---the Pennsylvania Dutch are often confused with "Dutch" people, or people from Holland, when in fact, the Pennsylvania Dutch have German origins. Or perhaps the writers of The Office just threw Zwarte Piet in for the social commentary and cringe-y laughs.