Markt - Krampus

From the clutches of Krampus

Krampus is a mythical, devilish figure seen as the counterpart to Sinterklaas. Krampus terrifies children and is associated with Germanic winter spirits that roam around in chains and with bells to restore the balance between good and evil.

The image of this devilish, horned figure appealed to us,” says Frank van Baal, who designed the float for the Markt hamlet along with Sven Goossens and Ward de Krom.

In Alpine countries, on the night of 5 December, men dress up as Krampus, with fierce figures featuring long claws, sharp teeth, and a terrifying tongue, all of which are reflected in the design. “We are depicting the myth of Krampus, not the people who run around the streets as Krampus,” they explained.

“The idea came about after a long brainstorming session. We then first worked it out in a small maquette. You can’t always see everything well with drawings, and none of us are good at drawing,” says Ward. “The adjustments we made to that eventually led to a final idea, which we then worked out into a ‘larger’ scale model where all the details are clearly visible”. There is no specific division of tasks for the design and execution. “Each of us can tackle anything. The best will surface on its own,” Frank knows.

It’s clear they use alternative materials. The horns and hooves are made from tree bark to make them look as realistic as possible. The birch rod consists of birch tree trunks. They create the iron ‘look’ of the rattling chains and tinkling bells from a combination of different flower petals, and the long hair of the creature from flowers and wool. However, whether this mysterious and grasping Krampus will be accompanied by performers remains a mystery for now.

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Frank van Baal (64) is a manager at a car garage. Sven Goossens (27) is a gardener, and Ward de Krom (26) is a project engineer. In various collaborations, they have previously designed for the Markt, Wernhout, and De Lent hamlet.

Original Dutch Text: Eric Elich
Translation: Saskia Molema
Photo: José van Trijp – Fotografie

Hamlet Markt
www.buurtschapmarkt.nl

This article is brought to you by Corsief. An independent magazine about corsos in general and the Zundert flower parade in particular. The magazine is produced entirely by volunteers, who are all more or less active in the Zundert flower parade world. Corsief is entirely full-colour and appears four times a year.