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This Krampus trivia quiz has 50 free questions with answers and covers the horned companion of Saint Nicholas from every angle: what he looks like and why he rattles chains, Krampusnacht and the Krampuslauf, the Perchten processions he grew out of, the Austrian ban of the 1930s and the 'Krampus Is an Evil Man' pamphlets, Krampuskarten, and his second life in American pop culture from Michael Dougherty's 2015 film to Red One. It then widens to his relatives across Europe: Knecht Ruprecht, Belsnickel, Père Fouettard, Schmutzli, Zwarte Piet and the belly-slitting Frau Perchta. The first questions suit anyone who has seen a Krampus meme; the last will test folklore nerds who know a Schiachpercht from a Schabmann. Every question is multiple choice with a short explanation after you answer. Every answer has been checked against a primary source, and each question links to the page that confirms it.
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Q 01Krampus is a horned figure from the folklore of which mountain region?
The Alps
He belongs to Central and Eastern Alpine tradition, especially Austria and Bavaria.
Q 02Krampusnacht, when Krampus roams the streets, falls on which night?
5 December
It is the eve of the Feast of Saint Nicholas.
Q 03In the tradition, what does Saint Nicholas hand out to good children while Krampus deals with the bad?
Small gifts
The saint concerns himself only with good children; Krampus takes care of the rest.
Q 04With what does Krampus traditionally punish naughty children?
Birch rods
In Styria the bundle of birch twigs is painted gold and displayed in the house all year as a reminder.
Q 05Krampus is usually depicted with one human foot and one what?
Goat's hoof
He also has horns, black hair, fangs and a very long tongue.
Q 06What are the chains that Krampus rattles thought to symbolise?
The Church binding the Devil
They are sometimes hung with bells of various sizes for extra noise.
Q 07What does Krampus carry on his back?
A sack or basket for children
In the older tales the children were taken away to be drowned, eaten or delivered to Hell.
Q 08Historians doubt Krampus has pre-Christian origins because he is not attested before which century?
16th
Masked devils causing mischief are recorded in Germany from at least the 1500s.
Q 09Why, in the 17th century, was a helper like Krampus paired with the gift-giving bishop?
A saint could not be seen punishing
The same logic produced Knecht Ruprecht, Schmutzli, Père Fouettard and Zwarte Piet elsewhere.
Q 10What is a Krampuslauf?
A run of costumed devils scaring crowds
Spectators sometimes take revenge for whippings; one 2013 season in East Tyrol sent eight people to hospital with broken bones.
Q 11Which earlier Alpine procession with goat-like Percht figures is the ancestor of the Krampus run?
Perchtenlauf
The Church viewed the Perchtenlaufen with suspicion but bans proved unenforceable in the rugged Alps.
Q 12Who banned the Krampus tradition in Austria after the 1932 election?
The Dollfuss clerical-fascist regime
In the 1950s the Austrian government handed out pamphlets titled 'Krampus Is an Evil Man'.
Q 13What did 1950s Austrian government pamphlets titled 'An Evil Man' warn about the horned figure?
He might harm children's mental health
Q 21In the 2015 film Krampus, what does young Max do that summons the demon?
Tears up his letter to Santa
He throws the pieces out the window and a blizzard descends on the town.
Q 22Which studio created the creature effects for the 2015 Krampus film?
Weta Workshop
The film cost about $15 million and grossed over $61 million.
Q 23In the 2015 film, what does Krampus leave behind at the houses he has tormented?
A bell-shaped bauble bearing his name
The final shot reveals he watches the families through hundreds of snow globes in his lair.
The tradition roared back at the end of the century and is now reviving in Bavaria too.
Q 14Greeting cards featuring Krampus, exchanged since the 19th century, are called what?
Krampuskarten
They often open 'Gruß vom Krampus', with humorous rhymes and the beast looming over children.
Q 15How has the Krampus of greeting cards changed over time?
He became cuter, more Cupid-like
Some older cards even had sexual overtones, showing him chasing buxom women.
Q 16What drink is customarily offered at the devils' runs?
Krampus schnapps
It is a strong distilled fruit brandy, though herbal liqueurs now trade on the name too.
Q 17In Slovenia, Krampus is known by what name?
Parkelj
Tuifl is the Tyrolean name, Klaubauf is used in Bavaria and Austria, and Bartel in Styria.
Q 18In parts of Bosnia and Croatia, a misbehaving child receives which token from Krampus instead of gifts?
A silver branch
Good children get a golden branch from Saint Nicholas for their year's good deeds.
Q 19In isolated Styrian villages, Krampus is joined by antlered 'wild man' figures known as what?
Schabmänner
They resemble the kukeri dancers of Bulgaria, and Saint Nicholas is nowhere to be seen.
Q 20Who directed the 2015 comedy-horror film Krampus?
Michael Dougherty
He had earlier made the Halloween anthology Trick 'r Treat.
Q 24Which 2024 Christmas action-comedy also features Krampus?
Red One
He has also turned up in The Venture Bros., American Dad! and The Binding of Isaac.
Q 25Germany's best-known Nicholas companion, Knecht Ruprecht, has a name that translates as what?
Farmhand Rupert
He first appears in written sources in a 17th-century Nuremberg Christmas procession.
Q 26By tradition, what does Knecht Ruprecht quiz children on before deciding to reward or beat them?
Their prayers
Those who know them get apples, nuts and gingerbread; those who don't get his bag of ashes.
Q 27The fur-clad gift-bringer of the German Palatinate differs from Krampus in what way?
He visits alone, without the saint
He combines the threatening and kindly roles in one crotchety figure, and survives among the Pennsylvania Dutch.
Q 28Belsnickel survives in the folklore of German communities in which two places outside Germany?
Pennsylvania and Brazil
An 1830s Maryland account describes 'Beltznickle' scattering sweets with one hand and swinging a hazel switch with the other.
Q 29Père Fouettard, the Nicholas companion of eastern France and Belgium, has a name meaning what?
Father Whipper
The most popular legend says he was an innkeeper who murdered three boys, whom the saint then resurrected.
Q 30Under what name did Père Fouettard appear in the United States in the 1930s?
Father Flog
The American 'Father Flog' or 'Spanky' had nothing to do with Christmas.