Perchten Parade

In the cold and mountainous regions of Europe, winter is dark and full of monsters, and the festivals are extremely metal. This video from last winter has been making the rounds, although it is often mislabeled- this version identifies it as a Nordic Krampus parade. What we are seeing is a Perchten parade in Austria, usually held on January 5th or 6th. The role of the Perchten is to drive away the old year and the evil spirits that inhabit it. The huge jingle bells on their butts help. Perchten are not to be confused with Krampus, another Austrian winter demon, who parades on December 5th. They have a lot of company. These monsters were once associated with the winter solstice, but now are more often associated with Christmas, Carnival, Lent, or Easter. (via Everlasting Blort)