Custom contrived: Whitby Krampus Run

Whitby is a delightful seaside town which a considerable amount of history but it lacks any calendar customs compared to nearby Scarborough and so the arrival of the Krampus run is to be considerably welcome even though it makes no sense whatsoever to have it in the town let alone Britain being a custom restricted central Europe Austria, Croatia and Slovenia but no worries because in a strange way it fits in well with Whitby’s burgeoning Gothic (and Goth) Steampunk scene. For those unaware the Krampus, is a demon who accompanies St Nicholas when he visits the houses of children on the 5th December. Whilst St Nicholas gives out gifts to the good children, the Krampus punishes the naughty often collecting into a bag carried on its back.

Despite the first Whitby Krampus Run being 2015 it has now firmly established itself. For the 9th run the BBC reported in the 2023 article by Julie Bryson Whitby Krampus Run: Festive folklore marked in Yorkshire town reported that:

“Mr Mitchell said the idea for the event was sparked by a holiday souvenir. In 2003, we went to the Czech Republic and picked up this wooden figure who we didn’t know much about,” he said. “We did our research and thought – this will be fun! And it’s grown into what it is today.” He said the Krampus parades which take place in Austrian villages can be wilder than the one they have created, with Krampus often seen running into crowds and whipping them…..We have had to tailor it for our audience.”

As such the article continues to describe the run

“Organiser Laurence Mitchell said: “About 50 people joined Whitby Krampus Run in the North Yorkshire town…Some were dressed as Krampus, in full “fells outfits” including wooden masks – and others were dressed as animals such as foxes or reindeer….Speaking ahead of the popular event, Mr Mitchell said: “We have reindeer heads on sticks, and an old dog cart that’s pulled up the hill that has music and speakers on. We also have drummers and fire performers, who will all stop along the way to perform for the crowds.”
Mr Mitchell said the event is designed to bring together European and local traditions, and those taking part will be experience a “salt blessing” where they will be showered in Whitby Sea Salt. Others carry a model of the Whitby Wyrm, a dragon-like creature which legend has it used to live on the headland by Whitby Abbey. Events also include a snowball fight, with fake snowballs, and a stand-off between a fox and the parade’s drummers, the Krampus Krumpettes.”

The costumes are absolutely incredible and it is evident this is no DIY pastiche which the impressive masks being scary and realistic. Much of the morning is spent with small groups of Krampuses (Krampi?) processing and posing for photographs around the narrow streets of the town to the delight and fear of the people and children going about their day.

Then in the afternoon all the Krampuses assembly at the band stand at the harbour side of the town to make their procession or run around the town. The costumes glistened in the bright December light with children being equally delighted and scared worrying they would end up in a krampus bag. The light begins to fail the Krampus become even scarier and as night has fallen accompanied with eerie Germanic techno music they reach the cliffs overlooking the bay and start to dance, swirling around and scaring the audience.

Custom survived: The Boar’s Head procession, London

“Before the last civil wars, in gentlemen’s houses at Christmas, the first diet that was brought to table was a boar’s head with a lemon in his mouth.”
John Aubrey, MS. dated 1678

The Boar’s head is a tradition associated with Christmas particularly in wealthy and high status families and there are a number of such processions recorded, some surviving and others demised. The Boar head was so pivotal to Christmas that it even gained its own carol sung when it was processed.

A bit of a boar

The tradition is associated with a parcel of land which was given to the company in 1343 to clean and dispose of any beast entrails by the then city’s Lord Mayor John Hammond a grocer after complaints were made by the monks at the Greyfriars as they had been discarding their “offal and ordure” into the streets.

Thus on 12th March 1343, the City granted them:

“…a parcel of land in Secollane adjoining the Flete, for the purposes of cleansing the entrails of beasts in the said water”

So they could:

“dispose of the offal in the Flete Ditch.”

To pay for this:

“…for which said butchers to repair and maintain a certain wharf, they and their successors, for ever, rendering yearly to the Mayor of London, at Christmas, a boar’s head.”

The cost to the Butchers according to early accounts stating

“Pd. For a boar to my Lord Mayor £1.4.0d.”

The land apparently has long gone and the practice no longer happens but the fee – a boars head continues to be asked for and delivered to the Lord Mayor apparently every year since although evidence of this is not that forth coming.

Not very boaring!

As I arrived the members of the company were just finishing off their apparent sausage and mash lunch but soon appeared outside resplendent in their furs and hats. As soon as the band arrived they began to organise themselves into a procession. This procession was lead by a bagpipe band with the company being lead by a beadle with his silver staff. In the middle was the boar’s head or rather a rather splendid red papermache head surrounded by plastic fruit carried on a wooden platter by four members of the company. Soon a band had arrived, this time a bagpipe band, the lead this curious procession to the Mansion house to deliver the papermache head to the Lord Mayor…rather pointless but certainly colourful and tuneful!

The procession stopped the traffic and passes a number of London landmarks such as the Museum of London and St Paul’s cathedral on its way. Once it had arrived the Mayor came out to inspect the Boar’s head although apparently a real boars head which is still given to the Mayor and I was informed by one of the company it had already been delivered and eaten…which seemed a bit strange as you would have thought they would have eaten after the procession – albeit a token procession it may be! Overall an extremely colourful event and one which certainly caught the eye and the mobile phones of the public as it went by.

Custom demised: The Feast of the Conception of Our Blessed Lady, the Chapel of the Savoy, London

John Strype, in his 1822 Ecclesiastical Memorials notes that on the 8th of December was the conception of our blessed Lady and that:

“ a goodly procession at the Savoy by the Spaniards, the priest carrying the Sacrament between his hands, and one deacon carrying a censer censing, and another the holy-water stock, and a number of friars and priests singing; and every man and woman, knights also and gentlemen, bearing green tapers burning, and eight trumpets blowing; and when they ceased, then began the sackbuts to play, and when they had done, there was one who carried two drums on his back, and one came after beating them. And so done, they went about the Savoy, now singing, and a while after playing again, and by-and-by came singing into the church, and after that they went to mass.”

Whilst many Catholic churches make the feast day their processions are not as grand as that once down in the 16th century and it no longer happens at the Savoy chapel.