Ejercicio B.3 · Inglés PAU Madrid Extraordinaria (2) 2024

TEXTO B

Who Is Krampus, And What Does He Have to Do With Christmas?

Every December, Santa Claus comes out and gives presents to good children around the world, according to popular culture. But children who have misbehaved are instead visited by Krampus, a far more frightening mythical creature. Krampus is often depicted with horns and a demon-like face. Traditionally, Krampus appeared on the evening of Dec. 5, just the night preceding the feast of St. Nicholas.

In essence, Krampus is the bad cop to Santa's good cop. Krampus would often target children who behaved badly, hitting them with a tree branch known as a "switch," or even kidnapping them in a basket. If kids were "good," they would instead wake up on Dec. 6 to find presents from Santa.

It's not entirely clear when and how the Krampus custom began. The tradition has two origins located in different historical contexts. During the Enlightenment (1685-1815), Krampus appeared in Vienna, where he was used as an educational tool to teach children obedience and discipline. In the 17th and 18th centuries, carnival parades became popular in Bavaria and mountainous areas of Austria, and Krampus was incorporated into them. Authorities tried to ban these parades, in part because they led young people to get drunk and riot.

The popularity of Krampus has gone up and down over the years. In the 20th century, it was only popular in a handful of small regions in Bavaria, Tyrol and Salzburg. But now, in the 21st century, Krampus festivities are more popular than ever, with events occurring around the world. For example, people dress up as Krampus on Dec. 5 and participate in events called "Krampus runs" in Germany and Austria. Advances in technology and social media may be one reason for this increase in popularity of the Krampus tradition in the latest years.

Adapted from “Who is Krampus, and what does he have to do with Christmas?” Livescience.com, November 28, 2022. <https://www.livescience.com/who-is-krampus>

B.3.- Find the words in the text that mean: (Puntuación máxima: 1 punto)

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