Czech Republic—a day with the devil in this pre-Christmas tradition

With Christmas Day around the corner, places around the world are celebrating this festival in their own unique ways. Here’s one all the way from the Czech Republic, and we must say that even if it looks terrifying, it must be a lot of fun.
Valasska Polanka, a village in the Czech Republic, has a unique tradition of devils marching down the streets, going door to door in search for badly-behaved children. The pre-Christmas tradition of the village is a celebration of Saint Nicholas on Saint Nicholas Day that falls on December 5. The village is usually snow-covered during this time; through the snow, come groups of men dressed as devils, wearing fearsome masks. But it's all in good fun, and children seem to enjoy it too. The children are seen running away from the devils, as they get chased around the village.


Dating from the pagan era, this pre-Christian tradition comes from the time when these devil masks were worn by the people in the mountainous region. They wore these masks as a defense against demons of the winter season.
The demon figure is called Krampus, who is considered to be the companion of Saint Nicholas, and is known to punish children who behave badly. On the other hand, Saint Nicholas comes bearing gifts for children who are well-mannered.

Even in the city of Prague, parents bring their children to the Old Town Square, where the tradition plays out on the day of Saint Nicholas from 5 PM to 8 PM.

Saint Nicholas is a 4th-century Greek Bishop, who famously left money on the windowsill of girls who were poor and unable to get married.