Christmas Traditions
"I was fascinated from the very beginning," says Patrick Obkircher as he reflects on his childhood: at the tender age of eight, during a winter holiday in the Stubai Valley, he watched as a mask carver completed a rather frightening Krampus mask on St. Nicholas Day in 2008. And for Patrick, it was clear: "I really wanted to be able to carve masks like that too," he recalls. What his parents unleashed, however, when they gave him a few carving tools and a bit of wood for his birthday a few months later, was probably not yet clear to them. Today, Patrick wields his chainsaw on blocks of wood in his studio on the outskirts of Welschnofen, refining them with coarse and fine carving knives, working devotedly on the smallest details – and he is now one of the most sought-after Krampus mask carvers around.
When one of South Tyrol’s largest Krampus parades takes place every two years in November in Welschnofen, Patrick’s masks can be admired up close – at least by the braver visitors. Because Krampuses have a serious mission. While St. Nicholas rewards good children with presents, Krampus – according to tradition – seeks out the naughty ones to punish them. Although this may scare not only the youngest spectators, Krampus parades are an important and well-maintained tradition in South Tyrol, especially in Welschnofen.
"In the past," says Julian Kompatscher, president of the Krampus association “Schuffatuifl Welschnofen,” "the Krampuses used to meet in the village and go from house to house." Since the association’s founding in 2014, however, the Krampus run has grown each year and has become a staple in the village’s event calendar.
„My masks should have finely crafted facial features“
The Schuffatuifl count around 50 active members, who not only participate in the run but also work to spread this pre-Christmas tradition far beyond the Eggental valley. Each year, 15 groups come to the event in Welschnofen, and Julian says: "But we usually receive twice as many requests."
Wrapped in furs and equipped with bells, more than 300 Krampuses now create a loud uproar as they parade through Welschnofen in November. But the highlight of every Krampus is his mask. "I want my masks to be expressive," Patrick Obkircher explains his carving style. Depending on the occasion, they can appear a bit wild and rough – yet Patrick, who is also an artist and sculptor, places great importance on delicate detail. "My masks should have finely crafted facial features," he says. And: "Above all, the proportions have to be right."
It takes Patrick about a week to transform a block of wood into a Krampus mask. After working with chainsaw and carving tools, he hollows out the rough forms, pads them, and paints them with durable acrylic paints. The sometimes massive horns that Patrick ultimately attaches to the masks are mostly real – from billy goats, for example, or from sheep.
When Patrick puts on one of his finished masks, the friendly face of the young man suddenly disappears behind a terrifying façade. "Of course, I was scared back then too," he recalls his encounter in the Stubai Valley, and therefore finds it completely normal that his masks leave a lasting impression – not just from an artistic perspective. It's quite possible that carving helped Patrick overcome his childhood fear of Krampus. And it’s also quite possible that the youngest Welschnofen Schuffatuifl are seeking similar ways. When the roughly ten members of the children’s group dress up as Krampuses for the run – they’ve found a clever way to simply run away from their fear.
