Meet Belsnickel: Santa’s not-so-friendly, evil counterpart

With Christmas just around the corner, fairy lights and Christmas trees are everywhere to be seen. Well, our dear Santa Clause is about to visit us and all of us, especially kids wait for this day throughout the year round. But our pre-occupation with this good old man, makes us overlook other interesting stories and people related to this festival. One such interesting personality is the not-so-friendly, often evil Belsnickel. But who is he and why is he so feared? Read on to learn more about Santa’s counterpart. 

Who is Belsnickel? 
European Christmas-related folklore suggests that Belsnickel is the companion, or sometimes servant, of Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus.) He is described as loud and cantankerous, often clad in animal fur, old and dirty clothes with deer antlers on top of his head. He visits children in a couple of weeks preceding Christmas, asking them whether they have been naughty or nice. This way, those who confess to have not been in their best behaviour get a small window of time to improve before Santa arrives on Christmas. The name Belsnickel originates from the German words “bels” and “nickel” which translate to “fur” and “Saint Nicholas” respectively. Some other popular nicknames for Belsnickel are Kriskinkle, Beltznickle and Pelsnichol. 

The origin of Belsnickel 
The idea of Belsnickel finds its roots in the folklore of southwestern Germany, more specifically, the Palatinate region. It is widely believed that this character is based on the old German myth of Knecht Ruprecht, a servant of Saint Nicholas. Unlike Santa, who showered gifts to all children who were on his list, this grim counterpart clearly made a distinction between those who behaved well and those who misbehaved. He offered presents to well-behaved children, and carried a switch to swat the hands of those who misbehaved.  

Is Belsnickel popular today? 
This character is widely popular in Europe, specifically in Germany and the Netherlands even today. It also travelled transatlantic when German immigrants who moved to America and brought along with them their tradition of Belsnickel. These immigrants primarily resided in the state of Pennsylvania, and hence, came to be known as the Pennsylvania Dutch. Since then, Belsnickel has been popular around that area, visiting children during the month of December and carrying along his duties.