the Winter Ones: Folkloric Figures of Winter, Yule, and Christmas

Yule has many customs and traditions, and those practices differ from region to region. One of my favorite aspects of Yule is the amount of figures associated with the festival – folk figures unique to the regions from which they hail. For many people, if you ask them about figures they associate with the Yule season, you’ll hear Father Christmas, Krampus, and maybe even a nod or two to Hans Trapp, but there are so many more Yule figures out there! In this post, we’ll meet a variety of these folk figures, and we’ll learn a bit about their Yule tales. It’s my hope that readers of this blog may find a new way of incorporating beliefs or customs of their ancestors or of their homelands (for our readers who are members of diasporic populations), and that, in doing so, their winter holidays may be even just a bit brighter for it. Now, shall we dive in? Who to meet first…

Cinnamon Dough Ornaments for Winter Celebrations

Cinnamon dough ornaments are a fun and festive addition to any winter observation—and they can be adapted for year-round use as well. Most commonly. We see these ornaments made to hang on Christmas or Yule trees, but they can be used in a lot of other ways too. You can use the same method to create a scented ornament garland—either with just ornament shapes or with dried fruit slices and other items along with them. Cookie cutters come in all shapes and sizes, so you can use these garlands (hanging around your windows or doors, for example) any time of year. They also make cute additions to small wreathes and can be used as personalized gifts or gift toppers. You can also use the cinnamon dough method to made beads to create a scented tree garland.

Ringing in Krampusnacht

Today, Krampus and his traditions are being revived in places like Germany, Austria, and Bavaria with annual events such as Krampuslauf and Austria’s Krampusnacht parade. For the most part, Krampus has been adopted into popular culture to the extent that even Americans may occasionally send or receive a Krampus-themed holiday card. But what are the true origins of this dark Christmastime figure? And how did he come to be the counterpart—or, in some places, companion—of Jolly Old St. Nick?