夜幕下的萨尔察赫河，奥地利萨尔茨堡 Salzburg with Salzach river, Austria (© MacEaton/Alamy)

夜幕下的萨尔察赫河，奥地利萨尔茨堡 Salzburg with Salzach river, Austria (© MacEaton/Alamy)

Salzburg, Austria

If you know of Salzburg, Austria, it's probably because of Mozart and not monsters. But if your holiday wish is to be chased by an unseemly seasonal demon, the narrow, medieval streets of this city are the place to be tonight.

The furry, devil-horned figure of Krampus is a sidekick to Santa Claus in Alpine folklore. This mean and mischievous bogeyman travels with Saint Nick, whipping naughty kids with sticks while Santa showers the good ones with toys. Too cheery for you? In other versions of the legend, Krampus eats the little misbehavers up or drags them to hell. And you thought a lump of coal was harsh.

Though the roots of Krampus festivities stretch back to ancient times, Austrian officials tried to stamp out the yuletide demon in the mid-20th century. But like an undead fiend, Krampus has resurged in popularity in the last decade or so, his legend spreading around the world. He's been the subject of several (mostly low-budget) horror movies in the US alone, and central Europe has seen revived Krampus-themed festivities like Salzburg's 'Krampus run.' Typically held December 5, this raucous event sees costumed Krampuses and other grotesque ghouls chase revelers through the old city.

奥地利萨尔茨堡

如果你知道奥地利萨尔茨堡，那可能是因为莫扎特而不是怪物。但是，如果你的假日愿望是被一个不体面的季节性恶魔追逐，那么这个城市狭窄的中世纪街道就是今晚的理想之地。

在阿尔卑斯山的民间传说中，长着毛茸茸的魔鬼角的克兰普斯是圣诞老人的伙伴。这个卑鄙淘气的妖怪和圣尼克一起旅行，用棍子鞭打顽皮的孩子，而圣诞老人则用玩具给好孩子洗澡。你太高兴了？在传说的其他版本中，克兰普斯吃掉了这些小捣蛋鬼，或者把他们拖进地狱。你觉得一块煤块很粗糙。

尽管克兰普斯节的起源可以追溯到远古时代，但奥地利官员在20世纪中叶试图消灭圣诞节恶魔。但是，像一个不死恶魔一样，克兰普斯在过去十年左右的时间里重新流行起来，他的传奇传遍了全世界。仅在美国，他就成了几部（大部分是低成本的）恐怖电影的主角，中欧地区也出现了类似萨尔茨堡的“克拉姆普斯奔跑”这样的以克拉姆普斯为主题的庆祝活动。通常在12月5日举行的这场喧闹的活动中，身着盛装的克拉姆普斯和其他怪诞的食尸鬼在老城追逐狂欢者。