For the last couple of birthdays, Boerne Maukonen and her friends have dressed up as Krampus and bar hopped around Dunedin, affectionately terrorizing any kids they see along the way.
When she connected with Todd Bogner, the president of the German American Society of Pinellas County’s Krampus Verein (“club”), their shared love of Bavarian culture helped expand the club and create the Society’s first Krampusnacht.
Less than a year old, the Krampus club hosts its first Krampusnacht event on Friday, Dec. 6 to honor the centuries-old Bavarian wintertime traditions. “He really wanted to make it its own large event, very similar to what you would see in Austria, Bavaria, Southern Germany,” Maukonen told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
The Society’s Krampusnacht is all about being terrifying without terrorizing. Club members have spent months crafting their Krampus cosplay from scratch using 3D printed designs, repurposed Halloween masks, imported authentic wooden masks and even their own hair.
“I was very fortunate to find the right people…that already had an interest,” Bogner said. “And it’s grown tremendously.”
Showcasing “the darker side of the winter holidays,” Krampusnacht at the Society’s Pinellas Park headquarters will feature an interactive Krampuslauf, a traditional procession that tells the story of the legendary horned and hairy creature. The event will also have fire dancers, Krampus-inspired music, Glühwein and comforting fare like bratwurst, goulash and pretzels.
“Our Krampusnacht will try to portray this in the most authentic way we can,” Bogner said, noting Krampus is not “anti-Christmas” or “the anti-Santa.”
Krampus works alongside St. Nicholas, who visits children the night before the Feast of St. Nicholas on Dec. 5. While St. Nicholas rewards good children with presents, Krampus scares and punishes bad children.
“They work hand in hand. It’s a lesson taught through allegory,” Bogner said. “You see all the scariness, but it’s really not a message of evil. It’s actually a message to be good…or else.”
With centuries of lore and interpretations behind it, many historians and anthropologists believe Krampus has pre-Christianity origins and was inspired by mythical Perchten and Straggele.
“Pre-Christian Bavaria, Austria and Tirol areas of the Alps would have the Perchten (a kind of witch) drive away evil spirits,” Bogner said. “As Christianity spread into the regions, and St. Nikolaus became a dominant yearly figure during Advent, a blending of cultures created the Krampus, who is a kind of Perchten, to serve as the punisher of bad children.”
Seven Krampus club members will march and dole out punishments to locals during the Krampuslauf on Friday, including Bogner and Maukonen.
Bogner’s hand-carved mask is crafted from a single piece of wood, then fitted with carpet padding and deer skin. The rest of his costume includes fur-covered reverse articulated legs with hoofs to look like goat limbs.
Everyone’s getup features heavy metal chains, leather belts and straps holding clanging rusty bells. The Society’s Krampuses will also carry bundles of twigs and palm fronds to swat naughty attendees.
“Being in the German American Club, we want to try to honor the traditions and be as traditional as we possibly can,” he said.
Maukonen’s interpretation of Krampus features a 3D printed mask, Icelandic wool and locks of her own salt and pepper hair.
“It was its own labor of love…to put him together and try to get what was in my brain,” she said. “I’ve always had this idea that he’s alive; I didn’t want zombie Krampus. I didn’t want him to look reanimated. I wanted him to look timeless.”
Next year, Maukonen wants to create a “spooky, old Florida” Krampus.
“When you’re walking around at night and you get this feeling in the back of your neck, and it’s like, maybe I should go home. That’s what I’m going for,” she said.
Krampus club members Christopher and Debra Dakin get to reuse their Halloween costumes at Krampusnacht, bringing another hand-carved wooden Krampus mask with glowing red eyes and Frau Perchta the Christmas Witch out to play.
With family ties in Bavaria and a love of German culture, Bogner has dedicated a lot of time and energy to expanding the connection between the German Society and the local community. As part of the Bayern Munich Fan Club of St. Petersburg, Bogner and fellow members needed a new place to watch games when St. Petersburg’s Hofbrauhaus closed in 2020. The German Society offered a perfect place to watch FC Bayern Munich games, and the fan club brought in more volunteers to help renovate the Society’s bar and build a biergarten.
One of the board members, Welton Brewing, also moved their brewery onto the Society’s property after winning an Oktoberfest tournament.
“After Krampusnacht, there really is a much bigger story to cover on the transformation and revitalization of this club,” Bogner said. “We’re really working hard to become a central part of the communities of Pinellas Park and the surrounding areas once again.”
The Society’s Krampusnacht is the first in a weekend of holiday events, including a Krampus market on Saturday and a St. Nikolaus Festival and Christkindlmarkt on Sunday—all at the Society’s location on 66th Street. Adhering to tradition, Friday’s Krampusnacht may not be appropriate for young children. But there will be more opportunities to meet and get photos with Krampus and St. Nicholas during the weekend markets.
Tickets for Krampusnacht are $8 for non-members at the door. The Krampus market and St. Nikolaus Festival are free to attend.
