A devil character seen running in the centre of Graz. Around...

GRAZ, AUSTRIA - 2017/12/03: A devil character seen running in the centre of Graz. Around December 6th, St. Nicolas Day, people dress up as devils run through streets of towns and villages in Austria. They seem like if they jumped out from a horror movie. Or from the hell. They are dressed in animal skins, have horns, strange instruments to scary people. Their faces are turned into nasty grins. They are covered with blood and scars and their long teeth dangle out of their mouths. Special tradition of a devil characters named "krampus" and "percht" who are coming with the St. Nicolas to punish bad people was born in remote valleys of Alp mountains hundreds years ago. Long winter nights were full of monsters. But at the end, krampus and percht were not just negative characters. They came to punish everything bad and prepare people for a new start. All the negative things in the village should be forgotten after krampus night. Until now, people dress animal skins and wooden masks to run and scare the audience. They are accompanied by pyrotechnic and light effects and hard music. They keep the tradition clear: no plastic. No Hollywood. Just wooden masks are allowed. Masks cost between 600 to 1200 euro each. Plus horns, animal skin for clothes and special shoes. Some groups come with strange vehicles. They prepare new performance each year. (Photo by Jana Cavojska/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)