...Думаю, все хотя бы понаслышке (скажем спасибо американским фильмам!) знакомы с толстым белобородым дядькой в красно-белой одежде (первоначально - епископской, затем - "кока-кольной"), с мешком подарков раскатывающим на оленьей упряжке под Рождество... Угу, это Санта Клаус, он же - Святой Николай (Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santy, Santa - нужное подчеркнуть). Персонаж весьма популярный не только в США, но и вообще в мире. Он дарит хорошим детям подарки на Рождество - это тоже все знают...
А вот кто-нибудь слышал о его весьма странных спутниках? О Слуге Рупрехте или Крампусе, например? Далее - выдержка из Википедии:
Knecht Ruprecht, which translates as Farmhand Ruprecht or Servant Ruprecht. Other companions include Krampus (Austria, Bavaria), Klaubauf (Bavaria), Bartel (Styria), Pelzebock, Pelznickel, Belsnickel (Pennsylvania), Schmutzli (Switzerland), Rumpelklas,
Bellzebub, Hans Muff, Drapp or Buzebergt (Augsburg), and Père Fouettard (Northern France). These servants are often associated with, but are distinct from Saint Nicholas' helpers in the Netherlands and Flanders (called
Zwarte Piet or Zwarte Peter, meaning Black Pete(r) in English).
Ого, уже интересно. Милые имена для спутничков милого старика, особенно Беллзебуб или Черный Петер.
Далее...
Often the subject of winter poems and tales, the Companions travel with St. Nicholas or his various equivalents (Father Christmas, Santa Claus), carrying with them a
rod (sometimes a stick, bundle of switches or a whip, and in modern times often a broom) and a sack. They are sometimes dressed in
black rags, bearing a black face and unruly black hair. In many contemporary portrayals the companions look like dark, sinister, or rustic versions of Nicholas himself, with a similar costume but with a darker color scheme.
Some of the companions take on more monstrous forms. Krampus and Klaubauf are variously depicted as
horned, shaggy, bestial, or demonic. In many depictions the Krampus looks like popular images of the Devil, complete with red skin, cloven hooves, and short horns.
Ну нифига себе... Рогатый, с копытами и кнутом в руке... ну, или с метлой. Этакий злой бабай.
Дальше - самое интересное:
Knecht Ruprecht is commonly cited as a servant and helper, and is sometimes associated with Saint Rupert. According to some stories, Ruprecht began as a farmhand; in others, he is a wild foundling whom St. Nicholas raises from childhood.
Ruprecht sometimes walks with a limp, because of a childhood injury. Often, his black clothes and dirty face are attributed to the soot he collects as he goes down chimneys.
The companion of the French St. Nicholas,
Pere Fouettard, is said to be the butcher of three children. St. Nicholas discovered the murder and resurrected the three children. He also shamed Pere Fouettard, who, in repentance, became a servant of St. Nicholas.
Неожиданно, да?... Рождественский Маньяк - прямо-таки заголовок для желтой газеты.
Читаем дальше:
In some of the Ruprecht traditions the children would be summoned to the door to perform tricks, such as a dance or singing a song to impress upon Santa and Ruprecht that they were indeed good children.
Those who performed badly would be beaten soundly by Servant Ruprecht, and those who performed well were given a gift or some treats. Those who performed badly enough or had committed other misdeeds throughout the year
were put into Ruprecht's sack and taken away, variously to Ruprecht’s home in the Black Forest, or to be tossed into a river. In other versions the children must be asleep, and would either awake to find their shoes filled with sweets, coal, or in some cases a stick. Over time, other customs developed: parents giving kids who misbehaved a stick instead of treats and saying that it was a warning from Nikolaus that
"unless you improve by Christmas day, Nikolaus' black servant Ruprecht will come and beat you with the stick and you won't get any Christmas gifts." (...) In some regions, the local priest was informed by the parents about their children's behavior and would then personally visit the homes in the traditional Christian garment and threaten them with rod-beatings.
ЫЫЫЫ... Что сказать, даже и не знаю. Интересно это все. Наводит на размышления, скажем... ))
Информация почерпнута отсюда:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companions_of_Saint_Nicholas